100-Deities Jang Chog Puja and Chod Puja
Led by Ven. Shangpa Rinpoche
26 August 2009 - 1 September 2009
Dear Dharma brothers and sisters,
Venerable Shangpa Rinpoche and his entourage of 5 lamas will be performing the 100-Deities Jang Chog (also sometimes spelt Chang Chog or Chang Chod) puja in our center. This is Rinpoche's annual puja in Malaysia. For those who are new to Rinpoche, Ven. 2nd Shangpa Rinpoche was recognzed as an incarnation of the Great Yogi Shangpa Rinpoche by 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. Please find below the biography of Ven. Shangpa Rinpoche for your information.
As most of you may know, this puja is especially conducted in the 7th lunar month in our center for the deceased.Amitayus The merits accumulated through making offerings to the 100 Deities are transferred to the deceased for their purification and liberation. This practice helps the deceased in the bardo and shows them the path to enlightenment. Additional to the puja, Rinpoche also further give us Vajrasattva initiation to help us to purify our negative karma. To further gain more information on 100 Deities Jang Chog Puja, Vajrasattva Initiation and Chod Puja, please continue to scroll down.
May the blessing of the Triple Gem be with you and your family always. Take care.
100 Deities Jang Chog Prayer
The Origin
It is stated in the Tantric legend that a king once executed his spiritual master. Due to this heavy sin, he passed away immediately and was born in the hell. He experienced the sufferings of all the six realms at the same time. Lord Buddha saw the great suffering of this being and He instructed him on the teaching and practice of the hundred deities. By just listening to this teaching and mantras of the hundred deities, this suffering being was liberated and reborn in heaven.
At one time, there was an evil minister called Shata in Tibet. He had killed many innocent people and also caused a lot of obstacles to prevent the consort of Padmasambhawa, Yeshe Tsogyal, from practicing the Dharma. After his death, he was born in hell. Guru Padmasambhawa, and his consort saw with their wisdom eyes that the former evil minister was experiencing unbearable suffering. His consort tried to save him by using various methods but she did not succeed. Guru Padmasambhawa then used the hundred deities Mandala with Jang Chog to help the evil minister and many beings in the hells. All of them were liberated. Later Guru Padmasambhawa transmitted the teaching of the hundred deities to his twenty-five renowned disciples.
The hundred deities are the attributes and activities of the five Buddhas and their female counterparts. They are the manifestations from the pure nature of our minds, and remain within us in the form of five faculties, five elements and twelve sources of perception and so on. By relying on the practice of the hundred deities or even by just hearing the mantra and seeing the mandala and picture of the hundred deities, one may either instantly or gradually realizes that the nature of one’s mind is inseparable from the perfect wisdom of the hundred deities.
The Puja and Its Benefits
During the performance of Jang Chog puja, the hundred deities are invoked and the various types of offerings are made to them. The merits accumulated from these offerings are dedicated to the deceased to help them in their purification and liberation. The prayer itself is also an offering of assistance to those in the intermediate or Bardo state to show them the path to liberation.
At the end of puja, the paper tablets of the deceased are burnt away. The fire used in the burning symbolizes the wisdom of the hundred deities; the burning of the tablets symbolizes the cutting of the attachment of the deceased to a “self” which is the cause of his or her suffering. Through the prayer and the ritual performed, the consciousness of the deceased are merged and become inseparable from the wisdom of the hundred deities. Thus they are liberated.
Vajrasattva Initiation
He is a Buddha in his Sambhogakaya form and is well known for helping practitioners to purify their negative karma thereby helping to pacify various illnesses and hindrances. Vajrasattva is also widely considered to be representative of infinite deities; therefore when we practice his Saddhana, it is like practicing devotion and faith to infinite deities and this will help us to purify any samaya (commitments) transgression against other deities and Gurus.
Chod Puja
During the second sermon, Lord Buddha Shakyamuni had given the Prajnaparamita teaching to his followers. The essence of his teaching was to develop the perfect wisdom of Enlightenment. Later on, the Indian saint Dampa Sangye and a Tibetan great master Machig Labdron introduced a unique method of cutting the ego clinging instantly based on the essence of the Prajnaparamita teaching. In Tibetan, this practice is called Chod. This practice flourishes and spreads to the entire Himalaya region.
The main practice of Chod is to recognize the defilement of ego clinging, attachment to self and phenomena, which obstruct the Path to Enlightenment. This method is used to rid the root of defilement, that is the ego clinging, and all the subsequent defilements such as hatred, desire, and ignorance that arise from it. It is effective for purification of sickness and especially for those who have disturbance caused by evil spirit. It also benefits us in our daily needs such as prosperity, health, and longevity.
Event Schedule
| Date | Time | Events |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 26 Aug | Arriving from Singapore. | |
| Thu 27 Aug | Whole Day | Puja Preparations |
| Fri 28 Aug | morning - evening | Puja Preparations |
| 8 pm - 10 pm | Vajrasattva Empowerment | |
| Sat 29 - Sun 30 Aug | 10 am - 12 noon | 100 Deities Jang Chog Puja |
| 2.30 pm - 4.30 pm | Continuation of puja | |
| 5 pm - 6 pm | Mahakala Puja | |
| 8 pm - 10.00 pm | Continuation of puja | |
| Mon 31 Aug | 8.30 am | Releasing Lives |
| 10 am - 12 noon | Last day of 100 Deities Jang Chog puja | |
| 2.30 pm - 5.30 pm | Continuation of puja and burning of deceased papaer tablets | |
| Tue 1 Sept | 10 am - 12 noon | Chog Puja |
| 2.30 pm - 4.30 pm | Continuation of Chod Puja | |
| 5 pm - 6 pm | Majakala Puja | |
| 8 pm - 10 pm | End of Chod Puja |
Biography of Ven. Tulku Shangpa Rinpoche
Venerable Shangpa Tulku Rinpoche was born in 1960 in Nepal. At the age of two, he was recognized as an incarnation of the Great Yogi Shangpa Rinpoche, who was a disciple of His Holiness the 15th Gyalwa Karmapa. When he was 9 years old, he was brought into the monastery in Pokhara, Nepal and later His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa ordained him.
From that young age, Rinpoche studied and mastered Buddhist philosophy, literature and Sanskrit under the tutelage of many great teachers including the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Venerable Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche and the late Dupsing Rinpoche. Since 1982, Rinpoche has been the spiritual teacher of the Karma Kagyud Buddhist Centre in Singapore, and has inspired and taught many followers with his limitless mercy, great compassion and loving kindness. He is also the abbot of the Jangchub Choeling Monastery and the Vikramashila Buddhist Institute in Pokhara, the Tharpa Choeling Nunnery in Mustang, and the Drupgyud Choeling Monastery in Lumbini.
To manage his works in these areas, Rinpoche established the Shangpa Foundation in 1996 and became its Chairman with the approval and support of the Nepalese Government.
Contact Karma Kagyu Dharma Society
Email : KKDS,KL
Telephone: +603 9222 1540
Fax: +603 9221 9810
Email : KKDS,KL
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