Chanted Meditations

If you enjoy meditating with others, chanted meditations are a great opportunity for you to engage in group meditation. These chanted meditations are also known in Sanskrit as "pujas", meaning "offering", or as "sadhanas", which means "method for receiving attainments".

Using ancient prayers translated into English, we receive the blessings, protection and guidance of the holy beings. We can make requests for ourselves or for others who need help or protection. These spiritual practices create a strong connection with the Buddhas, and help us purify our negativity and fill our mind with positive, healing energy. These meditations are open to everyone. People sit on chairs or on cushions on the floor.

Our daily practice:  Heart Jewel Prayers with Lamrim Meditation

Monday through Saturday at Ganden Center, we offer Heart Jewel Prayers in conjunction with silent time for Lamrim meditation.  

"Heart Jewel" is an ancient practice that prepares our mind for meditation by transforming our mind from an ordinary state to a positive, virtuous state.  During the first half of Heart Jewel, we make prayers to receive the blessings of the holy beings to help us realize each stage of the path to enlightenment.

"Lamrim" means "stages of the path to enlightenment."  In our tradition, we use the Lamrim text called The New Meditation Handbook, which consists of a cycle of twenty-one meditations which we practice again and again to gain increasingly deeper understanding.  Some of the more popular meditations in The New Meditation Handbook are the meditations on our precious human life, karma, compassion, and taking and giving.

After 15 - 20 minutes of Lamrim meditation, we practice absorbing our Spiritual Guide into our heart for five minutes, then conclude our practice with prayers to Dorje Shugdan, our Dharma Protector who helps protect the seeds of the stages of the path we have just sown in our mind. 

The entire Heart Jewel Lamrim practice takes about one hour.  Newcomers are always welcome to join us.

Chanted Meditation Schedule

Monthly practices:
Check the calendar to verify the time

• 8th of each month:  Tara practice, usually at 6:30pm
• 10th and 25th of each month:  Offering to the Spiritual Guide, usually at 7am or 7pm
• 15th of each month:  A Pure Life - precepts practice, 6:15am
• 29th of each month:  Melodious Drum, usually at 6:30pm

Special Events

• Public Talks
• Dharma Dinner
• Vision for a Pure World
• Annual Yard Sale for Peace
• Get Away for a Day Meditation Retreat
• Learn to Meditate (Aiken)
• Free Bookstore Event (Augusta)
• Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully
• Open House Nights
• Chanted Meditations