They are back!

Yesterday evening, went to a puja in DPL, after a hiatus of a few months. Many of the lamas were back in India during the last few months, hence there was no program. Although I have attended pujas and teachings in other familiar places, I still felt very comfortable being back at DPL. After last night's puja, as usual, I was exhausted and had a very good sleep. I am glad the weekly prayer sessions are back. Yay! Why attend pujas? For Tibetan Buddhists, attending pujas are akin to Christians or Catholics attending church service. It is also good to attend teachings as well. This time, DPL is conducting a series of special pujas similar to those they had conducted in 2003 during the SARS period. This time, was of course to counter the H1N1 epidemic as well as all our other obstacles.  

The word "puja" means "to please" in which prayers are offered to the Gurus, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to request their blessings and invoke their help. The idea of "pleasing" the Buddhas is for our own benefit, not for theirs. We need merit, or positive energy for our enlightened potential to grow and become perfect, and one of the best ways to do that is to make beautiful offerings and prayers to the Three Jewels. Pujas are performed to avert and clear our obstacles. The puja ends with the dedication of merits to the enlightenment of all beings.

According to Jamie from DPL, after the previous week's 400 offerings obstacles-removing puja, a participant approached the staff after the puja to relate his encounter. In the middle of the puja, his girlfriend, who was beside him, saw an image of a woman with a bloody disposition, coming out of his body. The man, in fact, did not feel anything amiss at all. Terrified, the couple consulted the lama afterwards. The lama assured them that it was a good thing, and they did further divination for him, to check what further prayers were required to be done for him in order he could be cured of any possible demonic possession or any other obstacles as soon as possible.

Thus, I believe in the potency of attending pujas regularly.