Chanted prayers

Chanted prayers are special methods for purifying negativity, accumulating merit and receiving blessings. they help us to develop and maintain a positive mind and are a powerful preparation for meditation.
Everyone is welcome to attend all chanted prayers at Tara IKRC, except those prayers that require a Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment; these are clearly marked below. There is no need to book, and no fee

New regular practice at Tara IKRC

35 Confession Buddha's

One of the most powerful purification practices is the Mahayana Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps, also known as The Bodhisattva’s Confession of Moral Downfalls. In this practice, we visualize the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas and practise purification in their presence. Through the power of their blessings and prayers, we can swiftly purify even the heaviest negative actions simply by faithfully reciting their names.

Wishfulfilling Jewel

Prayers addressed to the Wisdom Buddha, Je Tsongkhapa, and the Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden. Through this practice, we can purify our negativities, accumulate spiritual energy (or merit), receive inspiration, and attain powerful compassion, wisdom and spiritual power. We can also overcome obstacles to our spiritual progress and create the right conditions for our inner qualities to grow.



Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes

Offering to the Spiritual Guide

Prayers addressed to our Spiritual Guide, which contain all the essential practices of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and the training of the mind (Lojong) as well as the generation stage and the completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra. By relying on our Spiritual Guide as one with Je Tsongkhapa, our compassion, spiritual power and especially our wisdom will grow naturally.



Duration: 2 hours

Melodious Drum

Long prayers to the Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden. A Dharma Protector always helps, guides and protects practitioners by granting blessings, increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their positive wishes and granting success in all their virtuous activities. This practice is usually done once a month at Kadampa Buddhist centres. We rely on the Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden, who we recognise as inseparable from our Spiritual Guide and Buddha, to restore any commitments we may have broken or allowed to deteriorate.

Duration: 3.5 hours

Meditation in Derby

Liberation from Sorrow

Prayers of request to the twenty-one manifestations of Tara, our Holy Mother. Tara is a female Buddha, the ultimate wisdom manifestation of all the Buddhas. Her name means ‘Rescuer’ because she frees us from all fears, external and internal. Just as a mother protects us from all inner and outer dangers, Tara brings together all the conditions necessary for our spiritual progress.



Duration: 1 hour

Powa Ceremony

When we practise transference of consciousness, or ‘powa’, with faith, compassion and concentration, we can transfer the consciousness of those who have recently died to a higher rebirth or to the Pure Land of a Buddha. The powa ceremony can be performed by a single person or a group of practitioners for the sake of one or more deceased people, as well as for the sake of countless people who have died recently. By performing this practice, we also create a vast collection of merit that will also lead us on the path to the Pure Land of a Buddha.



Duration: 1 hour

A Pure Life

A special practice of moral discipline that is performed with the motivation of bodhichitta (the determination to attain the enlightened state of a Buddha in order to help living beings). The essence of this practice is to make eight commitments and try to keep them for a period of 24 hours. This practice helps us solve the problems of this life by avoiding the causes of suffering. It also creates the cause for future fortunate rebirths. We must first receive these precepts from a qualified preceptor, and then we can take them on our own as often as we wish. 

Duration: 45mins

Heart Jewel

This short prayer booklet includes two practices revealed by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri. By engaging in the special Guru yoga practised in conjunction with Je Tsongkhapa we can purify negativity, accumulate merit and receive blessings, and attain a very special wisdom. By engaging in the special method for relying upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favourable conditions so that we can nurture and increase our spiritual realizations. These two practices are the very essence of Kadampa Buddhism. If we practise 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.

Prayers for World Peace

By learning to cherish others we can experience greater peace of mind and help to establish world peace in general. Through contemplating these prayers compiled by Geshe Kelsang from traditional sources, we learn to cherish others. If everyone sincerely prays to be able to cherish others, then gradually through the power of this prayer, everyone will actually cherish each other. The world will then be permanently at peace, and pure and everlasting happiness will pervade the entire world.

Quick Path to Great Bliss

The Blissful Path is the condensed sadhana or ritual prayer for spiritual attainment that contains the essence of the self-generation practice of Vajrayogini – the female enlightened Deity of Highest Yoga Tantra who is the manifestation of the wisdom of all Buddhas. Those who wish to train in the self-generation practice of Vajrayogini as a daily practice, but who have insufficient time or ability to practise either the extensive or middling sadhanas, can fulfil their aim and draw closer to the attainment of Buddha Vajrayogini by practising this short sadhana with strong faith.

Please note: HYT Empowerment required to attend this practice