Dharmachakra Day: Offering to the Spiritual Guide

Everyone is welcome to join us for this beautiful prayer practice celebrating Buddha’s first teaching — “Turning the Wheel of Dharma” (Dharmachakra in Skt.). This day is also very meaningful for us because it is Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s birthday. Prayer booklets in English are provided for your use.

Offering to the Spiritual Guide is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra. It was compiled by the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsän, as a preliminary practice for Vajrayana Mahamudra. The main practice is relying upon the Spiritual Guide, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and training the mind (Lojong), as well as both the generation stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra.

It is traditional to make a small food offering, such as chocolate, tea, fruit, or crackers.