Guru Puja

Several of us attended a Guru Puja at a Rinpoches home last evening. I wish I could remember his name. Any way it is the same one I had dinner with a night or two ago. Another Rinpoche who lives with him, a few Geshe's and few monks and us injees were all that was there. The second Rinpoche is a younger man who I have run in to several times around the monastery. I have to find some time to speak with him.

The Guru puja is basically an offering ceremony to the Guru. I leave it to the experts to give an in depth explanation. It consists of some wonderful prayer which we sing/chant in Tibetan. For those who don't speak Tibetan we chant along phonetically. There is an English translation so we are not chanting blindly. It is a lovely ceremony filled with bells and damarus and offerings of food and chai. The elder Rinpoche was the om-se (sp) chant master. His round face and small eyes seem hard until he looks at you and smiles. At that moment any worries fade away. He is very patient with westerners like me who are clumsy with the verse, bell and vajra.

Offering of cash and things of this world to your teacher will create some pretty good causes and conditions for you, but they are nothing compared to the offering of your practice.

Bilbo