Medicine Buddha Puja 
Tib. Sangye Menla
Skt. Bhaisajya Guru Buddha

Medicine Buddha is the Buddha of Healing. He is depicted with a deep blue body and holds a begging bowl with medicinal substances on his left hand and an arura plant, an herb famous for its medicinal qualities, on his right hand - to show his healing powers. Devotion and prayers to the Medicine Buddha will help prevent diseases from pervading our minds and our bodies. For those who are sick, he uses his healing powers to help them recover from the illnesses faster. He also helps destroy our ignorance and our self-cherishing mind. Hence, practice to the Medicine Buddha brings health, long-life as well as clarity of mind.

Green Tara Puja 
Tib. Drolma
Skt. Tara

Green Tara is the essence of the holy minds (dharmakaya) of all the buddhas. She is the Mother from whom all the past, present and future buddhas have been born. Her name means "the Swift Liberator" indicating her powers to hastily release and free us from the causes of samsaric suffering, eight fears or dangers (ignorance, hatred, attachment, pride, jealousy, wrong view, doubt and miserliness) and physical as well as mental diseases. It is said that through devotion and practice to the powerful Tara, one may be freed from suffering, liberate sentient beings and ultimately, achieve enlightenment.

Guru Rinpoche Prayer 
Skt. Guru Padmasambhava

His name means Precious Master in Tibetan. He was born out of a lotus flower amid miraculous events. Through his great powers in subduing all forces, he succeeded in bringing and spreading Buddhism in Tibet. Guru Rinpoche is regarded as the second Buddha in the Vajrayana path. It is said that even spiritual masters frequently call upon him for help when faced with a serious crisis or problem. He once said, "I will come and remove sufferings of the people in the world on the tenth day of every moon." Hence, a puja is offered to Guru Rinpoche on the 10th day of the Tibetan Lunar calendar.

Sam Bar Gesar Puja 

Sampa Lhundrup

Sampa Lhundrup (Wish Fulfilling Prayer) is a powerful protection prayer written by Guru Rinpoche. This practice is said to be effective in helping one achieve good fortune and protection from calamities. It also effective in helping one attain their wishes quickly and also, overcome all kinds of obstacles on their path to enlightenment.

Barched Lamsel

Through this special prayer, we pay homage to Guru Rinpoche and His eight different manifestations and invoke his powers to help dispel all obstacles - inner, outer and secret - of all sentient beings.

Gesar Ritual

King Gesar of Ling is reknowned throughout Tibet and central Asia as a legendary epic warrior. He represents the ideal warrior - having succeeded in conquering all the enemies and evil forces of four directions. This practice is said to help one accomplish their deeds with success and confidence. He is also said to be an emanation of Guru Rinpoche.

Thirty-Five Confessional Buddhas Prayer 

This Practice of reciting the names of the Thirty-Five Buddhas while bringing to mind past negative karma and confessing all bad actions done is said to be a very effective way of purifying all past karma to help one achieve a good rebirth in the next life.

This prayer is usually done with Medicine Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha Pujas and during auspicious days.

Dakini Puja 

Dakinis are powerful goddesses who are often taken as personal meditation deities (yidams) by practitioners. They can appear either in peaceful or wrathful forms. In their wrathful forms, they are often portrayed as a naked figure in a dancing posture, often holding a skull cup with blood in one hand and a drigug (knife) in the other. She may be adorned with a garland of human skulls around her neck and on her hair. She may also be depicted as trampling over a human corpse, which represents her complete dominance over ego and ignorance. Her nakedness symbolizes our natural mind or rigpa stripped of all obscurations and defilements. Her dance pose also signifies the great movement, force and energy required to sever the deep roots of ego and ignorance from which all our delusions arise.

Despite their sometimes terrifying imagery, Dakinis are images of wisdom or insight into the understanding of shunyata (emptiness). They are particularly powerful in helping practitioners overcome obstacles in their aspirations for spiritual progress. The Dakini Puja is held every 25th of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar.

Black Dzambala Water Offering 

Dzambala is the god of Wealth. This practice brings material and spiritual wealth to its devotees to help alleviate poverty as well as to give them the opportunity to practice generosity. Dzambala also brings us spiritual wealth and personal growth. He is said to possess remarkable power to free sentient beings and guide them towards ultimate enlightenment.

In this puja, devotees pour milk on Dzambala's head to signify the nectar that was once poured by Chenrezig on Dzambala's head.

21 Dzambalas (Deities of Wealth Wish Full-filling Gem) 

Dzambhala is the god of wealth. Though it is a worldly god, it is said that He is close to achieving enlightenment. The Dzambhala practice will help practitioners attract material (financial) and spiritual wealth. Practitioners must use their wealth to do more charitable works and accumulate merits in the process. Without being distracted by financial worries, it is easier for the mind to cultivate compassion and also wisdom. Ultimately, it is our accumulated merits and wisdom that will help practitioners achieve liberation from Samsara and attain Buddhahood.

Chenrezig Puja 
Skt. Avalokiteshvara

Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva is the Bodhisattva Compassion. He took a vow to save all sentient beings from suffering and delayed his own buddhahood to accomplish this vow. He manifests himself in several forms - two arms, four arms, thousand eyes, thousand arms, eleven heads, etc. His boundless compassion and altruism inspire many devotees. Through prayers and practice to Chenrezig, we aspire to transform our negative qualities into selfless motivation to help others.

It is also said that the benefits attributed to reciting his mantra "Om Mani Padme Hung" are immeasurable.

Lungta or Wind horse 

Lungta, usually in the form of colorful paper or flags, have block-printed prayers, mantras, animals and other auspicious symbols imprinted on them. "Lung" means wind or space signifying universal foundation and omni pervasiveness. "Ta" refers to the greatest speed at which the horse can travel. Together, Lungta connotes the swift delivery of messages and blessings to all sentient beings vis-à-vis the incredible strength of the horse and force of the wind.

The more prevalent symbols in a Lungta include 5 animals. The precious horse, adorned with a flaming wish-fulfilling jewel on its back, represents the air element and the swiftness in which one's misfortune can change and aspirations fulfilled. The Garuda or the great bird, depicted with flaming horns soaring high in the sky, represents the fire element. The dragon who is said to live under the sea represents the water element. The lion that roams the mountains symbolizes earth while the tiger, a wild animal in the forest, symbolizes the wood element.

The flag as a whole is also a representation of the body, speech and mind of the Buddha. The flag itself as the Buddha body, the mantras/ prayers printed as the Buddha speech and the meaning of the prayers as the Buddha mind.

The practice of releasing lungta began with an Indian King who caught a mysterious disease. He consulted several doctors but none of them were able to cure him. Finally, he approached Buddha for his advice. Buddha saw that the king's condition was a result of the obstacles given to him by other sentient beings (as differentiated from obstacles that one acquires because of one's own negative actions). Buddha advised that the only cure was for the king to go to the top of a mountain and with full faith, release 100,000 lungtas. There are sentient beings who do not encounter the Dharma (Buddha's teachings) because they do not have the karma (fate/destiny) to hear or read the Dharma. So in releasing these prayer lungta, one creates the karma for others to know and be in the Dharma. The merits accumulated from this positive action is attributed to the person who released the lungtas.

The benefits of releasing lungta include the following:

• get rid of curses put upon us by others
• protection from a lawsuit
• eradicate bad dreams, bad thoughts, bad actions
• good health
• power over other beings
• wealth
• peace within
• luck and longevity
• success and fulfillment of all aspirations
• purify our bad karma

Before releasing the lungta, a smoke puja/ritual is done in the morning to invite mountain, land spirits, local gods, nagas. After the smoke puja, the lungta is dispersed from the top of a mountain, sea or any clean high place with wind blowing so that the prayer flaglets could fly high and spread wide. As the lungta is scattered by the winds, blessings upon blessings are shared with all sentient beings.

LUD (Chi Lhu) RITUAL 

The Ritual of Lud Tangma is performed to eradicate untimely death due to obstacles caused by evil spirits and other negativities. These include bad karma, poor health, financial problems and all other mental, spiritual and emotional sufferings such as fear, confusion, pain and doubts. During the ritual, participants will place cut nails, hair, unwashed worn clothing, leng chag ( a type of mold used for rubbing on unwell body parts) into a receptacle(LUD) containing a human figurine. The figurine, the leng chag, hair, nails and worn clothes all represent the negativities and obstacles of the participants. Food and other offerings are also placed into the Lud to pacify the evil spirits and keep them away from us. At the end of the ritual, the Lud is thrown away and left at a crossroad thus eliminating all causes of untimely death.

 
Manjushri (Boddhisattva of Wisdom)

  
Vesak or Vaishakha Day
(Tib: Saga Dawa Duechen)

Vesak (Vaishakha) Day is celebrated on the 15th of the 4th lunar month. This Buddhist holiday commemorates the three important events in Buddha Shakyamuni's life: Buddha was born in Lumbini (Nepal), became enlightened in Bodhaya (India) and entered paranirvana ("passed away") in Kushinagar (India). On this auspicious day, merits/demerits gained over positive/negative actions are said to multiply million times. Buddhists are encouraged to practice vegetarianism on this day and to participate in life release.

Bathing of Baby Buddha on Vesak Day 

On Shakyamuni Buddha's Birthday, most Buddhists follow the tradition of bathing Baby Buddha with water. According to Buddhist legend, when Buddha was born, he pointed his right hand up and left hand down to announce that he will unite heaven and earth. Hence, a standing Baby Buddha figure with the same mudra is placed on the altar for the ceremonial bathing. As we pour water over Baby Buddha, we pray fervently that our body, mind and speech be purified and that all our defilements and impurities be cleansed so that all sentient beings may advance in their spiritual development.

Shakyamuni Buddha Puja 
Skt: Siddhattha Gotama
Tib: Shakya Thupa

Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Sakyamuni or Shakyamuni ("sage of the Shakyas"), is regarded as the Supreme Buddha of this era. There are four major Tibetan Buddhist Holidays that celebrate the significant events in His life: Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana (Saga Dawa Duechen), First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (Choekhor Duechen), Descent from Tushita Heaven (Lhabab Duechen) and Display of Miracles (Chotrul Duechen). The benefit of any virtuous action, including the recitation of mantras, is believed to increase 10 million times when performed on these auspicious days.

Choekhor Duechen - First Teaching of Buddha 

Amitayus Buddha  

Amitayus is the Buddha of Long Life. He is the sambhogakaya aspect of Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Limitless Light and Life. Amitayus is depicted as cradling a vase that contains the precious nectar of immortality, amrita, which confers longevity and the leaves of the ashoka tree, which symbolize long life without misery (shoka) of disease. Sincere practice and devotion to Amitayus is said to help eliminate all obstacles to long life such as sickness and pain. The Amitayus practice is important because longevity is said to be a contributing condition that will allow us more time and opportunity to practice the Dharma, so we can ultimately achieve our goal – liberation from Samsara.

Vajrasattva Puja  

Vajrasattva is the Buddha of Purification. He is depicted here with his consort, Vajragharvi His right hand holds a vajra at his heart, symbolizing his skilful means, while his left hand holds a bell, signifying wisdom. It is said that proper meditation and practice of Vajrasattva’s sadhana/prayer and recitation of his mantra at least twenty-one times a day can help to eliminate and purify inconceivable eons of negative karma, in particular, the violation of sacred samayas or broken vows. Purification takes place only when one confesses sincerely by first arousing bodhicitta – that is, generating pure motivation to help other beings attain enlightenment first, generates true feelings of remorse for negative actions, resolves never to commit them again and furthermore, offsets those negative acts by committing as many positive actions as possible.

Vajrakilaya Ritual  

Vajrakilaya is one of the most powerful deities in Tibetan Buddhism. Vajrakilaya embodies the enlightened activity of all the Buddhas, manifesting in an intensely wrathful yet compassionate form in order to subjugate the delusions and negativities that can arise as obstacles to the practice of Dharma. Vajrakilaya is a wrathful manifestation of the already wrathful Vajrapani- thus the title “King of Wrath.” Vajrapani is the essence of the wisdom of Buddhas of three times and ten directions, thus possessing great power and skillful means. In this age of moral degeneration, sentient beings are in the great disturbance of mental defilements. An ordinary manifestation of Buddha or Bodhisattva in a peaceful form is difficult to subdue beings with such defilements. Therefore, Vajrapani, the holder of the vajra, manifests in a wrathful form to subdue such beings. The Tibetan name of Vajrakilaya is Dorje Shonnu. Dorje means unmoving and unchanging. Shonnu means forever youth, no aging and no sickness.

In Tibetan monasteries all over the world, the Vajrakilaya Gutör or year-end grand puja is usually conducted for 6 to 7 days before the Tibetan New Year or Losar. It is especially important to conduct the ritual on the 12th month and 29th day of the year - when it is said that all obscurations, obstacles, curses and destructive forces are in full force on that particular day. The Vajrakilaya Gutör will help eliminate these and ensure that they do not carry over to the New Year.

Life Release (Tib: Tse Tar)  

Life Release is the Buddhist practice of saving the lives of animals who are destined to be killed. Life is the most precious gift one could give to any living being. As Shakyamuni Buddha had taught us: "Cherish all living beings with a boundless heart. Radiate kindness over the entire world". We must therefore treat all sentient beings, including animals, equally and with compassion. We must transform our selfish attitudes and start to cultivate compassion for the welfare and lives of all other animals, especially those who are about to be killed.

It is also said that due to countless births and rebirths, we have had many parents, relatives, friends and enemies. They, because of their karma, may have been reborn into the animal realm. Through Life Release, we are paying back whatever karmic debts we may have with these beings.

Life release is…

…saving lives …paying back debts …helping an emergency …compassion ...realizing awareness …practice …accumulating merits …convenient ...changing one's destiny …removing bad karmic relationships …removing ill fortune ...healing sicknesses …saving family and relatives …extending one's life ...a blessing ….helping one be born in Buddha Pureland.

According to the Sutra of Ksitigarbha, the innumerable benefits of Life Release includes the following:
(1) Long life (2) Self-arising compassion (3) Good spirits befriending you (4) One feels at home and happy with animals (5) Innumerable merits (6) Respect from peers (7) No sickness and troubles (8) Happiness and luck (9) Belief in the Buddha path for all of one's life (10) One will not be separated from the Triple Gem (11) Eventual attainment of Bodhi (12) Long life of one's guru and wishing one's best to one's guru (13) Birth in a Buddha Pureland.

HUNDRED DEITIES PRAYER ("Jang Chöd") FOR   THE DECEASED

Legend has it that the Hundred Deities text first descended on the rooftop of the Indian King Ja's palace. Realizing its importance, the King practiced the Hundred Deities text for six months. Then, the golden body of Vajrapani, measuring one inch tall, appeared and bestowed blessings upon the King allowing him to have full understanding of the text. It was King Ja who transmitted the Hundred Deities' teachings to our beloved Guru Padmasambhava. While on his way to West South of Roksha, Guru Padmasambhava also transmitted the Hundred Deities' teachings to his disciples. Lady Yeshe Tshogyal used golden ink to inscribe the teachings on a piece of paper and concealed it in a cave for the benefit of future generations. The teachings were later revealed by Karma Lingpa, who transmitted it to his disciple, Orthon Jiangpon and all the way down to our Palyul lineage master, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche.

Whoever sees, hears or touches the text of the Hundred Deities will be blessed. If one is able to receive the Hundred Deities Empowerment, practice it and abide by the samaya (precepts). The devoted practitioner will gain realization, be cleared of all obstacles for this lifetime and also have all their wishes come true. Then in their next life, they will be able to realize the nature of the Hundred Deities within them.

During the Ceremony, we call upon the Hundred Deities and make offerings to them. The merits accumulated from these offerings are dedicated to the deceased to help them in their karma purification and liberation. The prayer will also help awaken the consciousness and eliminate the desire of the souls in the Bardo (intermediate period between death and rebirth) so that they may be liberated and may take rebirth in Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land instead of the six realms of Samsara (wheel of existence).

At the end of the ritual, the paper tablets with the names of the deceased are burnt. The fire symbolizes the wisdom of the Hundred Deities and the act of burning represents the cutting of the attachment of the deceased from the notion of "ego" or "self" (which is the cause of one's sufferings). It is said that through this ceremony, the consciousness of the deceased are merged together with the wisdom of the Hundred Deities bringing the deceased to their liberation.

For those who participate and make offerings in the Hundred Deities Prayer ceremony, it is said that they will also accumulate immeasurable merits and also extinguish bad or negative karmic connections with the deceased.

Lhabab Duchen  

Lhabab Duchen (Descent from the Heavens) is one of the four holy days of the Buddha. On this 22nd day of the ninth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, we commemorate Buddha's compassionate ascent to Tushita Heaven to teach his deceased mother for her liberation from samsara and his compassionate return to Earth to continue to teach in the human realm. Buddha himself said that great merit and purification can be gained on this day. Merits are multiplied a 100 million times on this auspicious day.

Sang Puja or Mountain of Smoke Puja 

Sang Puja, also called Mountain of Smoke Puja, is conducted once every two months at the Palyul Nyingma Center. The ritual involves reciting prayers and the making of a large smoke offering by burning food (oatmeal, beans, cookies, candies, rice, sugar), drinks (wine, juice, milk), pieces of colorful cloth, flowers and incense.

In this kind of Smoke Puja, the smoke or its essence is being offered to four (4) groups of beings: Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all the other deities; the dharma protectors; all sentient beings; the nagas and spirits to whom we may owe a karmic debt. For the first two groups, the Smoke is presented as offerings while for the other two, it is given as gifts.

It is said that sentient beings take in the offerings by inhaling the Smoke. Beings in the hot hells feel cool and are contended. Similarly, beings in cold hells feel warm and are satisfied. Pretas or hungry ghosts are also happy to experience relief from their unquenchable thirst and hunger. Humans are also satisfied because their aspirations are granted.

Through our numerous past lives, it is a certainty that one must have at one time or another caused harm to the nagas, spirits, local deities, earthly gods and other beings - either intentionally or unintentionally. Perhaps, we climbed a mountain or bathed in a river and destroyed their homes in the process. Because of our harmful actions, we have formed a karmic debt between these beings and ourselves. As a result of this karmic debt, they bring sickness, obstacles and other obscurations upon us to make us "pay" for our harmful actions. In doing a Sang Puja, we are paying off all our karmic debts so that these beings will stop harming us.

Before throwing our plate or cup of offering into the fire, one must not think that the offering is just a plate of food or a cup of drink. Instead, one must visualize that the offering is a vast ocean of precious substances offered to the four beings mentioned above and that all of them are extremely pleased when they receive our offerings and gifts.