Buddhist Pujas in Brisbane

Pujas & Practices

What is a Puja?
A Puja is an offering ceremony held on special days of the Buddhist calendar. We usually sing them in English so that everyone can understand and follow the visualisations. Combining our body, speech and mind in concert, making praises and offerings, is a powerful way to practice. The sum becomes greater than the parts. We can also deepen our experience of the symbolic language of meditation.

Contrary to first impressions, far from just being an elaborate ritual, pujas are where we actually get to practice the mind training of Buddhist psychology. Making offerings and praises counteracts our reluctance to give, to be patient and to rejoice in the virtuous activities of others. We can thus purify our negativities and disturbing emotions. For this reason pujas can also be very powerful in generating merit, or spiritual fortune. Without merit, no matter how hard we study there is no way we will gain any realisations.

Who can come?
Everyone! Although pujas are a tantric practice, everyone can participate. You do not even have to be a Buddhist. As we are a beginner's centre we explain the prayers and offerings as so that the ritual becomes meaningful.

Which one do I start with?
If you don't know what a puja is, or have never been to one, we suggest you start by coming the the Medicine Buddha puja. Why? Because it is all in English, so you can follow easily. You can make dedications specifically for sick friends or relatives. You can bring your own medicines to put on the altar and then take home after they are blessed. And lastly, many people who come are not Buddhists, but are in the healing or medical proffessions, and they find it very helpful and inspiring.

Making Special Dedications
You can sponsor a puja and make special dedications for a sick friend or family member or someone who has passed away, or you can make requests for the success of projects or business.

Download the form to make a donation towards a puja and your special dedication (.pdf 51 KB) (You need Acrobat Reader to view the form. For step by step help in downloading this see our Computer Help and FAQ's page.) All participants at the puja are welcome to make special dedications at the end.

Medicine Buddha Puja
A praise and offering to Medicine Buddha, the Great physician who can liberate us from all the sufferings of cyclic existence. This puja is offered in English. We make special prayers to each of the seven healing Buddhas and read their specific abilities and promises to help beings. We also say prayers and mantras for sick friends and relatives. You can bring your medicines and put them on the altar to be blessed, and then take them home again. This very popular puja is beneficial for both Buddhists and non-Buddhist alike.

Check calendar for dates
6.30 pm - 8.00 pm (arrive any time after 6 pm)
Suggested donation $5 or offerings of food or flowers

Cittamani Tara Puja
Tara, the mother of all the Buddhas, is a manifestation of enlightened activity. She is particularly helpful in emergencies and difficult situations.This puja involves chanting praises to the 21 Taras, making mandala offerings, flower strewing and optional prostrations. It is an excellent practice for removing negativities and obstacles. You can dedicate the puja to friends, relatives, the sick, or the success of a business or a particular project. And remember to bring your mandala set (if you have one) to make offerings.

Check calendar for dates
6.30 pm - 8.30 pm (arrive any time after 6 pm)
Suggested donation $5 or offerings of food or flowers

Dzambhala Practice for Fortune & Wealth
No matter how hard we work to make money, without spiritual merit we will have no success. These evenings are dedicated to the special fortune and wealth-generating practice of Dzambhala. This is a short practice of just under an hour, in which we meditate on the sufferings of the myriad sentient beings to strengthen our determination to help them, and generate loving kindness and compassion, and then recite the mantra whilst offering wate, visualising in detail all the resources necesary for the flourishing of the Dharma.

This practice is not just about fundraising, but about generating the causes and conditions for a wealth of Dharma teachings, a wealth of realisations, a wealth of resources, and a wealth of peace and harmony throughout the world.

Check calendar for dates
7.30 pm - 8.30 pm (arrive any time after 7pm)
Suggested donation $5 or offerings of food or flowers

	Reading the Sanghata Sutra To celebrate finishing as many copies as we have, we will recite the sutra together, and make special dedications peace and harmony throughout the world, and in particular with our neighbours in Camp Hill. This sutra, unlike the Diamond Cutter Sutra, is quite long, so we will also have copius tea breaks to keep us going during the recitation! Please join us in making mountains of merit and directly contributing to peace and harmony within the Brisbane area. Learn all about the sutra at www.sanghatasutra.net. Check calendar for dates 2.30 pm - 5.30 pm (arrive any time after 2 pm) Suggested donation $5 Back to Top

	Reading the Diamond-Cutter Sutra When Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave us advice regarding finding a bigger, better premises for the centre, he said that the center needed to create a lot of merit, otherwise even the we got a larger property, it wouldn't last. Here we are in our new bigger, better centre - and yes - we still need the merit! This is a wonderful text on wisdom of just 15 pages (instead of around 60 pages like the Sanghata Sutra), and takes about 30 minutes to recite. The whole practice takes an hour, including special dedications and tea offering. Everyone is welcome, no need to be a Buddhist to benefit! Listen to the Oral Transmission given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche (it is about 20 minutes long - look for the file with the word 'lung' in it) Donwload the Diamond-Cutter Sutra (.pdf 116 KB) Check calendar for dates 6.30 pm - 7.30 pm (arrive any time after 7pm) Suggested donation $5 or offerings of a sutra! Back to Top

	Shakyamuni Buddha Puja We recite praises to Shakyamuni Buddha and stories from the Jataka Tales of the Buddha's life, and make copious and elaborate offerings, including the 8 Auspicious Symbols, the 7 Precious Things, the 8 Precious Substances, long mandalas, and many light offerings. This is a poetic translation that we sing in English to the traditional Tibetan tunes. At the end we strew multitudes of flowers to the ten directions. This symbolises offering all the good qualities of both ourselves and others to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Check calendar for dates *Christmas Eve Puja - Wednesday 24th December* 6.30 pm - 8.00 pm (arrive any time after 6 pm) Suggested donation $5 or offerings of food or flowers Back to Top

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Birthday Prayers
This is a short but very special practice on Chenrezig (the manifestation of enlightened compassion) as inseparable with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This unusual practice was composed by the Dalai Lama himself after repeated requests from his disciples. We traditionally offer this practice on His Holiness' birthday (July 6th) so as to strengthen our connection with him, pray for his long life and the success of all his projects and wishes, and make special dedications for peace in all countries of the world, especially Tibet.

6th July - HH the Dalai Lama's official birthday
Check calendar for details
(Sometimes we have an evening practice, sometimes a day retreat)
Suggested donation $5 per session or $20 for the day (BYO lunch)

Guru Puja
This practice is done twice a month on the Tibetan 10th and 25th (tsog days). It is the offering to the lama and the special devotional practice of the Gelugpa tradition. It includes a beautiful and poetic overview of the Graduated Path to Enlightenment. Traditionally a family affair, participants get to take home and some of the many offerings of food and flowers. We also offer tea and make special dedications during the puja.

Not in the schedule at this time
6.30 pm - 8.30 pm (arrive any time after 6 pm)
Suggested donation $5 or offerings of food or flowers

Langri Tangpa Centre Inc. ABN 49 770 532 185
535 Old Cleveland Rd., Camp Hill QLD 4152 Australia
tel: (07) 3398 3310
fax: (07) 3398 3314
email: info@langritangpa.org.au
website: www.langritangpa.org.au
Unless otherwise stated all pages © Langri Tangpa Centre Inc. 2007