Most of our group practices last for one to two hours and consist largely of chanting and silent meditation. We chant the prayers in Tibetan first so that the integrity of the teachings and prayers are maintained in the language that they were originally taught in. They are chanted then in English so that the instructions in the prayers and our own aspirations and intentions are made firm in what is, for most of us, our first language.

The group practice also includes what is usually ten to thirty minutes of silent meditation wherein the practitioner is either resting in the ultimate state of mind or incorporating visualizations into the meditation.

Depending on the Tibetan calendar and the needs of the Sangha different sadhanas are practiced at different times. A sadhana is a liturgy or practice that uses specific prayers, mantras, and visualizations to connect with the energy of a certain deity. These sadhanas are always begun and ended with a short short practice to Guru Padmasambhava

Tuesday Nights

The Chicago PBC holds regular Tuesday night practices at the Truc Lam Buddhist Temple. Tuesday practice consists of recitation of the Heart Sutra and 100 Syllable Vajrasattva mantra, and silent meditation. There is an introductory talk for those new to Buddhism at 7pm and practice begins at 7:30 and lasts around an hour. The Truc Lam Buddhist Temple is located at 1521 W Wilson, on the southeast corner of Ashland and Wilson. Please feel free to call Chicago PBC or to email us with questions or requests for directions. The temple website is http://chuatruclamchicago.org.

Prajnaparamita is the wisdom that realizes directly phenomena as they are. It is the profound essence of the Mahayana and the very basis of practice in the Vajrayana. The Heart Sutra was among the first of the Prajnaparamita teachings to be translated from the Sanskrit. It is considered to contain in its few lines the essence, or condensed meaning, of the entire Prajnaparamita.