Meditation and Modern Buddhism

The daily prayer and meditation practice for Kadampas is Heart Jewel. This practice is a Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa and also includes the brief practice of his Dharma Protector. Time is included for a short meditation on Lamrim, the stages of the spiritual path.

What is Heart Jewel?
This puja (prayer practice) was provided by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri in two parts. The first is a special Guru yoga in which we visualize our Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa, who himself is a manifestation of Manjushri.

In dependence upon our relying upon this practice, we can purify negativity, accumulate merit, and receive blessings. Thus, we will naturally accomplish all the realizations of the stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra in general, and in particular, we will attain a very special Dharma wisdom.

The second practice is a method for relying upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. Through the prayers to the Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden, we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favorable conditions that will nurture and increase our Dharma realizations.

If we rely upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden sincerely, our faith in Je Tsongkhapa will naturally increase, and we will easily gain experience of the pure Buddhadharma transmitted directly to Je Tsongkhapa by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri.

These two practices are the very essence of the New Kadampa Tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. If we practice them regularly and sincerely, we will reap a rich harvest of pure Dharma realizations and eventually come to experience the supreme joy of full enlightenment.

The book Heart Jewel, by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is the corresponding commentary to the Heart Jewel sadhana (booklet).