Dear Fellow Dharma Frens,
This coming Sunday on 18 Aug, Hari Raya Pusa's holiday, you are invited to join in to pray to the 100 peaceful and wratful deities and also to receive blessings for long life empowerment conducted by our invited Rinpoche & lamas from Namdroling.
Chang Chog 100 Deities Prayer 9:30AM - 12:00PM
The Origin
The Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities (Tib. ཞི་ཁྲོ་རིགས་བརྒྱ་, Wyl. zhi khro rigs brgya) include the forty-two peaceful deities and fifty-eight wrathful deities. They feature in several practices and cycles of teachings, most notably the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Guhyagarbha Tantra, which is the primary source describing this mandala.
It is stated in the Tantric legend that a king once executed his spiritual master. Due to this heavy sin, he passed away immediately and was born in the hell. He experienced the sufferings of all the six realms at the same time. Lord Buddha saw the great suffering of this being and He instructed him on the teaching and practice of the hundred deities. By just listening to this teaching and mantras of the hundred deities, this suffering being was liberated and reborn in heaven.
At one time, there was an evil minister called Shata in Tibet. He had killed many innocent people and also caused a lot of obstacles to prevent the consort of Padmasambhawa, Yeshe Tsogyal, from practicing the Dharma. After his death, he was born in hell. Guru Padmasambhawa, and his consort saw with their wisdom eyes that the former evil minister was experiencing unbearable suffering. His consort tried to save him by using various methods but she did not succeed. Guru Padmasambhawa then used the hundred deities Mandala with Jang Chog to help the evil minister and many beings in the hells. All of them were liberated. Later Guru Padmasambhawa transmitted the teaching of the hundred deities to his twenty-five renowned disciples.
The hundred deities are the attributes and activities of the five Buddhas and their female counterparts. They are the manifestations from the pure nature of our minds, and remain within us in the form of five faculties, five elements and twelve sources of perception and so on. By relying on the practice of the hundred deities or even by just hearing the mantra and seeing the mandala and picture of the hundred deities, one may either instantly or gradually realizes that the nature of one’s mind is inseparable from the perfect wisdom of the hundred deities.
The Puja and Its Benefits
During the performance of Jang Chog puja, the hundred deities are invoked and the various types of offerings are made to them. The merits accumulated from these offerings are dedicated to the deceased to help them in their purification and liberation. The prayer itself is also an offering of assistance to those in the intermediate or Bardo state to show them the path to liberation.
At the end of puja, the paper tablets of the deceased are burnt away. The fire used in the burning symbolizes the wisdom of the hundred deities; the burning of the tablets symbolizes the cutting of the attachment of the deceased to a “self” which is the cause of his or her suffering. Through the prayer and the ritual performed, the consciousness of the deceased are merged and become inseparable from the wisdom of the hundred deities. Thus they are liberated.
It is good that we can make good connection with the 100 Deities just by participating in this puja.
LONG LIFE EMPOWERMENT 2:00 -5:00 PM
Amitayus is the Buddha of long life, good fortune, and wisdom. During this special blessing, Rinpoche will grant the blessing empowerment of Buddha Amitayus, inspiring our mind with positive energy to strengthen our own and others' life-span, increase our good fortune, and enrich our lives with a transforming wisdom.
Everyone is welcome to attend. Do share with your dharma frens.
For more information, please feel free to contact 98139462.