Mantra meditation is one of the easiest and most accessible practices of Tibetan Buddhism.
Visualizing oneself as a Buddha or bodhisattva while reciting a mantra and making aspirations for the benefit of beings is a powerful way to connect to our own inner goodness and send love, compassion and wisdom to other beings.
Cathy Lhamo Jackson, a long-time KTC sadhana teacher, is starting a new monthly series of classes to share her knowledge of sadhana practice to connect our dharma friends to these inspiring practices.
Instruction will be given in two parts on consecutive Saturdays to give attendees an in-depth experience of the practice.
Part One: We will study the specific sadhana (prayer text) for each deity. We will be introduced to the sadhana’s history, organization, visualizations, focus, and benefits.
Part Two: We will focus on how to practice the sadhana. This will include learning the melody, mudras (hand gesture), chants, mantra pronunciation, and how to mark the text to make chanting easier.
The first month we will cover the Chenrezig / Amitabha Sadhana. These two sadhanas, which are often chanted together, are practiced on Tuesdays at 7PM on Zoom and in person on 1st Sundays at 10 AM.
The practice of the bodhisattva Chenrezig inspires us to develop tremendous compassion and loving kindness for all sentient beings. It introduces us to the suffering of sentient beings in the six realms of Samsara and to the OM MANI PADME HUM.
The purpose of the short Buddha Amitabha practice is to accumulate merit by expressing love and compassion for all sentient beings and to create a connection with Buddha Amitabha whose pure land practice is done at the end of life. His mantra is OM AMI DEWA HRI.
Tickets are by donation. Any amount $1 and above are welcome. If you would like to have your own copy of the text, a group order will be taken during the first class.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE financial means, or have difficulty registering online, please write pa@columbusktc.org and you will be registered at no cost.
Students participating on Zoom must have an internet connection, email capability, and download the Zoom application in order to attend. Zoom software is available here: https://zoom.us
SAVE THE DATE! The next Saturday Sadhana Classes will continue in January 2027 – we will learn the Green Tara Practice on Saturday Jan. 9 and 16.
About Chaplain Cathy Jackson
Chaplain Cathy Lhamo Jackson has been a student of dharma and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche since the 1980s. She currently serves the KTC community as a senior meditation instructor. She works as a Buddhist hospital chaplain at a Columbus medical center.
Link to download Chenrezig / Amitabha sadhana:
Outline for the class:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ocl74fxg0nw4ba/ChenrezigOutline.edited.pdf?dl=0
