What Is Puja Or Tsog?
(January & February 2001 Newsletter)

PUJA
Puja is a ceremony in which prayers are offered to the Gurus, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to request blessings or invoke their help. Pujas are performed to avert and clear worldly, inner and secret obstacles, and conditions which prevent us from achieving our worldly and spiritual goals. Worldly obstacles affect day to day life involving relationships, business, and etc. Inner obstacles affect health or mental states. Secret obstacles obstruct the attainment of innate wisdom. Pujas are also performed for the dying to help pacify their mind, and for the deceased to bless and guide their mind to a higher state of rebirth, liberation, and enlightenment.

GURU PUJA
Guru Puja is an important practice to please and thank our gurus whose kindness and guidance help us to progress on our path to Buddhahood. Participation in a Guru Puja helps one not only to purify one's negative karma but also to accumulate immeasurable merits. Guru Puja is held twice a month in the Centre.

TARA PUJA
Tara is known as "mother of all the Buddhas" for she is the wisdom of reality from which all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are born. The Tara puja includes offering and requests to Mother Tara to help us overcome the many inner and outer obstacles to our practice and to achieve successful Dharma realisation in our mental continuum. Tara puja is held once a month in the centre.

MEDICINE BUDDHA PUJA
Medicine Buddha is the Healing Buddha who promised to help all those who are sick and who are dying. He is depicted in holding a bowl containing fine kinds of medicines. The puja is often performed to help clear obstacles to health, to have successful surgery, and to help those who have already passed away.

More Teaching on Puja and its Benefits from Lama Yeshe