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Make your life highly meaningful, and so easily, and with only small hardships, collect a great deal of merit. Precepts days are powerful. By taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts for a day, every meritorious act you do on this day is greatly multiplied. It also guards you from creating any new negative karma (which also would be multiplied!)
In this ceremony you receive the vows directly from Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Preliminary prayers and instructions, led by Miffi Maxmillion, help frame the ceremony and are especially helpful for beginners.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has asked people to especially take the eight Mahayana precepts, which is such an easy thing to do – just 24 hours and inconceivable merit with each precept.
The vows are:
To refrain for 24 hours from: killing, lying, stealing, sexual activity, alcohol and other intoxicants, perfumes, jewellary, singing or dancing, and sitting on high seats with pride.
In addition we take just one meal, at lunch time. This can be either finishing before midday, or finishing before the sun is at the zenith.
“It is extremely important to do this. If no practice is done on these days, it is a greater, more foolish loss, than having lost dollars equalling the atoms of dust on the earth. And for those with whom I have a connection, to make this worthwhile, I want to ask you to take the Mahayana precepts at least once a month, especially the lay people.”
– Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Practice along:
This means you can play the puja at home! Miffi has pre-recorded this practice so you can offer it at home on the appropriate day, push pause to reflect on the meaning, and take time with your own dedications.
You will need to complete the ceremony before dawn. It’s quite short, about 20 minutes. Aim to finish just as you can see the lines on the palm of your hand! At a pinch, you can go back to bed for a few hours if you need to!
Download the text, set up some offerings. You may also want to have a beverage ready to offer when making your own dedications.
Download the text:
Page 24 of the FPMT Gold Prayer Book
Similar version on the LYWA site lamayeshe.com
Donate to the Puja:
Donations made on Buddhist Holy Days are especially powerful. Your contribution here will go towards puja offerings, altar offerings, holy objects, and commissioned statues for LTC. (The Zoom link for hybrid or online events will appear at the top of this page 15 minutes before the start.)
*If you can’t make it to puja but still want to be involved, please email us in your dedication so we can read it at the puja.