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Geshe Thupten Wangchen burning a scorpion made out of black sesame seeds at the Jangwa Puja, Dorje Chang Institute, Auckland, New Zealand, August 2018. Photo by Mark Heron.
Each year Dorje Chang Institute, an FPMT center in Auckland, New Zealand, organizes a Yamantaka Jangwa Puja. Venerable Gyälten Wangmo, spiritual program coordinator, shares about the most recent puja which took place on August 25, 2018.
Our FPMT resident teacher Lharampa Geshe Thupten Wangchen kindly performs a Yamantaka Jangwa Puja every August.
The first part of the Jangwa Puja is for the living. Geshe-la encourages people to attend in person if possible. This includes rituals to help purify obstacles, illness, disease, and more.
Jangwa Puja at Dorje Chang Institute, Auckland, New Zealand, August 2018. Photo by Ven. Gyälten Wangmo.
It is very participatory. At one part people absorb impurities, illnesses, and pains into handfuls of dough. At another point people rinse their mouths and impurities with the ritual vase water, which is then spit out into a bowl containing everyone’s handfuls of dough.
People also have the opportunity to come up to Geshe-la’s table and exhale all of their negativities onto a scorpion made of black sesame seeds. This scorpion is then symbolically burnt up, and then at one point people stand up to do prostrations to the Buddhas.
Jangwa Puja guests receiving Buddha bath water blessings at Dorje Chang Institute, Auckland, New Zealand, August 2018. Photo by Mark Heron.
The next section of the Jangwa Puja is for those who have passed away at any time in the past. In advance of the puja people register the names of those who have passed away, including relatives, friends, workmates, or anyone they wish to include in the puja. They also have the option of submitting a photo of those who have died.
A small placard is created for each one that includes a traditional drawing on the front with the name on the lotus and photo of the deceased above. On the back is the prayer:
“Bhagavan Manjushri-Yamantaka’s hosts of deities, grant your blessings so that this person who has passed away purifies all of their negativities, obscurations and imprints accumulated in many lifetimes without beginning, and attains complete, perfect enlightenment swiftly.”
Each small placard is placed on a skewer, and then all of the skewers are stuck into a large lotus.
Geshe Thupten Wangchen at the Jangwa Puja, Dorje Chang Institute, Auckland, New Zealand, August 2018. Photo by Mark Heron.
During the second part of the Annual Jangwa Puja, Geshe-la then performs a series of rituals similar to the above to help those beings purify negativities, have good rebirths—especially in a pure land—and to meet with all conducive factors for happiness.
Audience members then have the opportunity to stand up and do prostrations on behalf of their loved ones.
At the very end, all of the placards are offered into a small fire. While this is happening Geshe-la does prayers and rituals, and the audience members make strong prayers that they all be reborn in a pure land or at least receive a perfect human rebirth with all advantages for creating the causes for happiness and enlightenment.
Guests attending the Jangwa Puja at Dorje Chang Institute, Auckland, New Zealand, August 2018. Photo by Rinchen Dhondup.
Participation in this annual puja is gaining momentum. It seems that people really appreciate having something they can do that not only benefits themselves but is something helpful and positive they can do for those with whom they have a connection. It offers a formal opportunity to do something meaningful for loved ones who have passed away even a while ago.
I feel this is rare in the West. Sometimes it is palpable how much people appreciate the chance to helped deceased loved ones.
For more information about Dorje Chang Institute, visit their website.
http://www.dci.org.nz/
You can find advice on practice for death and dying here:
https://fpmt.org/death/
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