PRAYER AND PRACTICE REQUESTS
SPIRITUAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR LOVED ONES AND YOURSELF
At Pristine Awareness: Foundation for Buddhist Practice we offer prayers and practices to support you and your loved ones in troubled times. We perform practices to alleviate the suffering of illness, mental health problems, grief and loss, and all other challenges.
Fire Ceremony (Sang Puja) - The main practice we perform to alleviate suffering is the traditional Tibetan practice known as Sang puja, which is an incense or smoke offering, sometimes known as a fire puja.
The word Sang in Tibetan has the meaning of to remove or take away, as well as to clear, cleanse and awaken. In Sang puja we gather offerings, including fragrant incense, and burn them while visualizing that from the fragrant smoke appear limitless offerings of every desirable object that pervade all of space. The offerings are sent to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to those to whom we owe any karmic debt, and to all sentient beings of this realm and all others. We intend that the offerings satisfy all of these beings unique desires and clear our connection to these beings, both enlightened and mundane.
This practice has great power to perfect the accumulation of merit and wisdom and is thus much more than a simple offering of incense or smoke. This practice has been taught by Guru Rinpoche in the treasure teachings as a profound practice of generosity, connection and release. The specific Sang practice we use, Offering of Awareness, Boundless as Space, is unique to our lineage. This practice is an offering to Samantabhadri (Kuntuzangmo) and Samantabhadra (Kuntuzangpo), the source of the Dzogchen teachings. The offerings made in incense and smoke ceremonies are said to dissolve all karmic debts and accumulate vast stores of merit, which helps to remove obstacles and show us the way forward out of our difficulties. On the ultimate level they connect ourselves andthose we are doing the practice for to the ultimate or true nature of all.
Bardo Prayers - We also perform rites for the dead and dying, specifically the prayers from the Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Dead). These rites guide the dying and deceased as they progress through the bardos and offer the opportunity of total liberation or, at the very least, an auspicious rebirth. The rites for the dead and dying work just as well when done remotely as when done in the presence of the deceased or dying person.
Cremation Ceremony - We can perform a cremation ceremony for your deceased loved one. The ceremony we use is The Concise Cremation Ritual composed by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. This ceremony works just as well when done remotely, especially when performed at the exact time of the cremation. We will guide you through the process and provide you with blessed substances to be cremated with your departed loved one.
Traditionally, the first step to ensure the success of these practices is to make an appropriate offering. The Buddha himself made this very clear - requests for prayers, practices and teachings should always be accompanied by an expression of generosity. Here at Pristine Awareness we do not charge for Dharma or for performing prayers or practices. That being said we will accept donations to cover the cost of the offerings and materials that are used in the smoke pujas. Donations can also be made when requesting rites for the dead, as is customary. If you want to support our mission and aims you can become a member.
To make a request send the name of the person for whom the practice is to be done along with their age and the reason the practice is needed as a note when making your donation. We may request some further information so please also include your email address.
Make your request by clicking the button below:
You may also send your prayer request by contacting us.
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