Offering to the Spiritual Guide

Offering to the Spiritual Guide is an online chanted prayer practice, a Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra. It is offered as a virtual event by Kadampa Meditation Center Austin, and it suits those in the Kadampa Buddhist tradition who want to practice together from home through devotional chanted prayer, meditation and offering.

What to Expect

The evening runs about an hour and forty-five minutes, from 6:30 to 8:15 pm. The main practice is relying upon the Spiritual Guide, which is the heart of Guru yoga. Within that, the practice gathers the essential teachings of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and the training of the mind (Lojong). It also includes both the generation and completion stages of Highest Yoga Tantra.

The practice includes a tsog offering, a traditional ritual offering made as part of the session. Because the format is chanted prayer, the evening is quiet and devotional, carried by recitation and meditation rather than discussion.

The Setting

The gathering takes place online, so you can join from wherever you are. It is hosted by Kadampa Meditation Center Austin, a Texas center for Buddhist meditation, and is part of the center's ongoing Offering to the Spiritual Guide series, which means the practice returns regularly through the year.

Before You Go

This is a Highest Yoga Tantra practice, so those who are new to it may wish to check with the center about whether it is suitable for them. The center can answer questions about preparation and how to take part online.