Chanted Prayers and Meditation
Prayer creates a special mental environment so that our meditation practice can bear fruit and bring about a deep change of heart. Rejoicing in the virtuous qualities of Buddhas and wishing to emulate them ourselves, we receive their blessings of inspiration, ripening the latent seeds of wisdom and compassion in our minds. Prayers are guided meditations that enable us to place our mind on the correct object of meditation, so that we can abide in a state of inner peace.
All our prayers and meditation practices are recited in English with beautiful, easy-to-learn melodies and CD accompaniment. (Listen to an audio sample). We recommend that you arrive about ten minutes early to be seated and relaxed at the start of the session. For prayers with tsog offerings, it is useful to arrive a half hour early to help set up the offerings.
| Meeting Days: | See below for the types of prayers and the days they are usually held. Please check the calendar for specific dates and times. |
| Location: | Kadampa Meditation Center Maryland |
| Cost: | Donations welcome. For prayers with tsog offerings, please bring a small offering of vegetarian food or drink to share. |
| Registration: | No registration required. Walk-ins welcome! |
Daily Meditation and Prayers (Wishfulfilling Jewel)
Held most every day. See the calendar for specific times.
The daily meditation and prayers held at the Center is the practice of Wishfulfilling Jewel, the heart essence of Kadampa Buddhism. In the first part of these prayers, we visualize our Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa and make requests to purify negativity, accumulate merit and receive blessings. This prepares our mind for two silent meditations, on Lamrim (15 minutes) and Mahamudra (10 minutes). After the meditations we make prayers to our Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugdän. Through this we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favorable conditions to increase our pure Dharma realizations. This practice lasts one hour and fifteen minutes.
Wishfulfilling Jewel (WFJ) with Tsog Offering
Held once a week, usually on Saturdays. See the calendar for specific times.
This Wishfulfilling Jewel practice includes a tsog offering, which is an offering of food and drinks to the holy beings. During the prayers, we invite the holy beings and imagine they enjoy the banquet of offerings. Afterwards, we enjoy the tsog offerings with our spiritual friends. These tsog pujas are a great way to get to know your spiritual friends and to feel a part of a spiritual community. Bring a vegetarian food offering with you if you wish. This practice lasts one hour.
Offering to the Spiritual Guide (OSG)
Held on the 10th and 25th of each month. See the calendar for specific times.
This is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra. The main practice is relying upon our Spiritual Guide and making praises and requests, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path, and training the mind, as well as both the generation stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra. By relying upon Je Tsongkhapa, our compassion, wisdom and spiritual power naturally increase. This practice includes a tsog offering so you can bring a vegetarian food offering with you if you wish. The practice lasts two hours.
Dakini Yoga and Quick Path
Held in the mornings most Tuesdays through Saturdays.
This practice is open to those who have Highest Yoga Tantra empowerments. These practices of Buddha Vajrayogini are especially suited to people of modern times and are a quick method to attain enlightenment.
Melodious Drum
Held around the 29th of each month. See the calendar for specific dates and times.
This monthly practice consists principally of prayers to our Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugdän. A Dharma Protector is an emanation of a Buddha or Bodhisattva whose main functions are to avert the inner and outer obstacles that prevent practitioners from attaining spiritual realizations, and to arrange all the necessary conditions for their practice. Dorje Shugdän always helps, guides, and protects pure and faithful practitioners by granting blessings, increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their wishes, and bestowing success on all their virtuous activities. This practice includes a tsog offering so you can bring a vegetarian food offering with you if you wish. This practice lasts four hours.
Tara Prayers
Usually held on the 8th of each month. See the calendar for specific times.
At Kadampa Centers worldwide, the eighth of the month is Tara Day. Tara is a female Buddha, whose name means Rescuer; she is the embodiment of swift compassion. If we rely upon Tara sincerely and with strong faith, she will protect us from all obstacles and fulfill all our wishes. Everyone is welcome and invited to join us for Tara’s chanted prayer practice, Liberation from Sorrow. This practice lasts one hour.