Chenrezig Puja

First Thursday of the Month

Online & In-person
by Donation

A Practice Open to Everyone

Chenrezig practice is a beautiful and accessible sadhana practice centred on wisdom and compassion. Everyone is welcome, whether you are new to Buddhism, unfamiliar with puja, or an experienced practitioner.

Through prayer, mantra and visualisation, the practice offers an accessible yet profound way to connect with compassion and wisdom. 

According to Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX, deities within Vajrayana Buddhism are the “symbolic meaning of spiritual qualities”. Gathering together to invoke Chenrezig, who embodies compassion, is a means to care for both others and ourselves from the spiritual point of view.

Who is Chenrezig?

“Chenrezig embodies compassion and is used as an example of how one can develop compassion. It is not that we must believe in Chenrezig as a real being; rather we use the image of Chenrezig to think about how we might develop this ideal of compassion in ourselves.”

– Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX -The Essence of Buddhism

What is Compassion in Buddhism?

Compassion (Skt. karuna; Tib. snying rje) is one of the principle antidotes to self obsession in Mahayana Buddhism. Compassion is the wish that other beings may be free of suffering and the cause of suffering. This is an active form of responding to the suffering of others without becoming immersed in their despair. — Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX – The Practice of Lojong

“We have to understand the value of compassion as a source of spiritual nourishment, for no other virtue can really flourish without it. If we continue to be self-centred and essentially uncaring towards others, we may try to develop other virtues, but they will never take proper root in our being. As it is said in the teachings, compassion is like the moisture and irrigation required for things to grow. If compassion is present, then joy, happiness and all things good will arise automatically.”

“Compassion has to be imbued with intelligence, because just caring about others is no guarantee our intentions will be expressed wisely. Compassion has to be combined with insight, which basically comes from developing a greater appreciation of emptiness… When we truly understand that everything is interconnected and lacking in inherent existence, our compassion will naturally be expressed in a beneficial and wholesome manner.”- Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX

Attend either in-person at E-Vam Institute, Princes Hill, or online via Zoom. Registration is essential. Attendance is by donation and your generosity is warmly appreciated. 

Dedications

It is common in Buddhist practice to dedicate the merit of prayers and practice for the benefit of others, particularly those who are ill, suffering, dying, or who have passed away.
You are welcome to submit names for special dedication, and these names will be included in the dedication prayers during Chenrezig Puja.

Submit your dedication HERE 

For our online participants, all Prayers will be displayed on screen.

You are also welcome to download the prayers and puja text before the event.

Links to the prayers below:
Refuge and lineage prayers
Chenrezig puja
Long life and dedication prayers

Practice the Chenrezig Puja at Home:

**Special Dedication to Sangha Member Marisha Rothman**

Our next Chenrezig practice on the 2nd of July will be dedicated to our dear Sangha member Marisha Rothman, who passed away recently.
We warmly invite you to join us for Chenrezig Puja, a practice of compassion for all beings.

All are welcome to attend in person at E-Vam Institute or online via Zoom. 

Tickets are by donation, please register below.