All group practices and prayers are offered in-person at Heruka Center. They are free, and everyone is welcome.
Please see calendar for exact times and dates.
On Buddhist shrines, offerings are made to the enlightened beings. Seven bowls of water are the most commonly made offerings. These offerings have special meaning, representing seven traditional offerings made to revered guests: water for drinking, water for bathing, flowers, incense, light, perfume and food. There is also an eighth offering, music, which is not represented by a physical substance but is offered when we chant prayers.
You can learn how to make these offerings at various classes at Heruka Center, or you can learn by joining our Shrine Offering Team. The members of the Shrine Offering Team make the water offerings on the Center's shrine - each person has one day a week that is their day to make the offerings. To learn more about this opportunity you can visit our Shrine Offering Team page or contact Rosemary at info@meditateinfortcollins.org.
Typically held towards the end of each month.
Please check calendar for exact times and dates.
Every month, members of Heruka Center and the public gather to make special prayers for all living beings who have recently died. These prayers, called Powa Ceremony, transfer the consciousness of these deceased living beings from a painful impure rebirth to a happy rebirth in the Pure Land of Sukhavati, also known as the Pure Land of Bliss.
Join us for this meaningful ceremony, and learn how to help countless living beings through your concentration, compassion, faith and mantras. For those who are new to this practice, a brief explanation is given at the beginning.
Everyone is welcome.
Typically held on the 8th of each month. 7-8:15am
Please check calendar for exact times and dates.
Enjoy a blessed start to your day, by joining us for prayers to Buddha Tara followed by a nice cup of coffee and community. The female Buddha Green Tara is known as the 'Swift Rescuer' as she protects us from all inner and outer fears and dangers. With her blessings she inspires and guides us along the spiritual path, fulfilling all our wishes for the deepest happiness.
Liberation from Sorrow is a powerful and ancient practice that connects us to Buddha Tara and inspires us with her powerful blessings.
Everyone is welcome.
Typically Thursdays, 5:30-6:15pm
Please see calendar for exact times and dates.
Join us on Thursdays for the group practice of Heart Jewel, a session of chanted prayer and silent meditations that improves our compassion, wisdom and spiritual power.
Heart Jewel practice is the very essence of Kadampa Buddhism - it is the daily practice for Kadampa Buddhists. Through this practice we receive the powerful wisdom blessings and protection of Wisdom Buddha Manjushri through his special aspects as Guru Je Tsongkhapa and Protector Dorje Shugden.
This puja includes a silence for Lamrim meditation and a second shorter silence for Mahamudra meditation. Everyone is welcome.
The below group practices are traditional chanted prayers that are accompanied by "tsog" offerings, a blessed food offering. Everyone is welcome! No experience required. If you wish, bring a small vegetarian food offering. These are special opportunities to enjoy Sangha community and celebrate our faith.
10th & 25th each month
Please see calendar for exact times and dates.
Chanted prayers with tsog (food) offerings that brings us closer to our Spiritual Guide, receive powerful blessings and inspiration, and fuels our spiritual progress.
This is a profound spiritual gathering that celebrates Buddhadharma, our tradition and community. It creates incredible benefit for all living beings in our area and for the world.
We conclude this practice with a chance to enjoy Sangha company and the food offerings together - the best spiritual party around. Everyone is welcome.
Most Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30am
Please see calendar for exact times and dates.
Wishfulfilling Jewel is a longer version of Heart Jewel, in which we make tsog (food) offerings and more extensive prayers to the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. We make these chanted prayers and offerings once a week to increase our merit and remove our obstacles to spiritual progress.
This practice is especially important for Kadampa practitioners to help fulfill the four heart commitments for the benefit of all living beings.
Around the 29th each month, 3.5 hours
Please see calendar for exact times and dates.
This monthly practice takes place on or close to the 29th of each month, which we know as 'Protector Day,' and consists principally of prayers to our Dharma Protector, the Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden.
A Dharma Protector is an emanation of a Buddha or Bodhisattva whose main functions are to avert the inner and outer obstacles that prevent practitioners from attaining spiritual realizations, and to arrange all the necessary conditions for their practice.
Join us for this epic chanted practice which connects us to powerful enlightened protectors who support our spiritual progress and the welfare of the entire world. Everyone is welcome.
Typically Fridays at 6:45-8pm. Please check calendar!
Starting with 15 minutes of instruction on one of the 11 Yogas of Vajrayogini practice with Resident Teacher Trina Gunther, this one-hour group puja allows practitioners to spend time with the 'Three Bringings' of self-generation.
This practice is open to those with the Highest Yoga Tantra empowerments of Heruka and Vajrayogini only.
Typically offered on the 15th of the month. This is not a regular event on the calendar - please request (at least a week in advance) if you would like to take precepts on the next 15th of the month. Email: info@meditateinfortcollins.org
This is a precious and powerful practice that purifies negative karma and produces positive karma (good fortune) for our future. Buddha realized that all living beings’ suffering comes from their previous negative karma, and so he taught special practices to purify it.
It is traditionally done at daybreak on the 15th of every month. It takes the form of a short session of chanted prayers and meditations, with the guidance of a preceptor.
When we take the eight Mahayana precepts, we explicitly promise to abstain for twenty-four hours from eight actions:
These eight, however, are merely symbolic, for in reality we promise to abstain from all non-virtuous actions for twenty-four hours. On this day we only eat one meal, if possible between 12-1pm.
Anyone is welcome to attend this early morning session and participate in this very meaningful day. It is recommended to treat this day like a special spiritual day of retreat where, even if we have many things to do, we mentally focus on making every activity meaningful and refrain from meaningless, ordinary activities that often clutter our day and mind.
149 W Harvard St, Suite 102, Fort Collins, CO 80525
info@meditateinfortcollins.org
