Please join us for a special in-person event — a Sevenfold Puja — led by Dharmasuri on Monday, November 17th starting at 6:30 pm.
If you are new to participating in a Puja, that’s great, Dharmasuri will guide this devotional practice step by step for those attending.
The word Sevenfold Puja comes from the “Bodhicaryavatara” which means (Guide to the Path of Awakening) written by an India monk Santideva. Through the seven guided reflections and visualizations of the Puja, we engaged with several spiritual moods as we dedicate ourselves to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and make traditional offerings.
Simply arrive with an open mind and be ready to rehearse the role of a trainee Bodhisattva and eventually, if we persist, we will be emotionally moved by the Puja. By devotion and ritual in the Puja it means contacting, developing and expressing our highest, most refined spiritual emotions. When we are free to an open heart during Puja practice, we walk away with pleasant mental states.
BIO: Dharmacharini Dharmasuri was first introduced to Buddhism in 1994 by her good friend, Leigh Baker. Leigh discovered Buddhism on a trip to Nepal and was eager to share her discovery the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (formally Triratna) with friends back home. Since then, Dharmasuri has dedicated many hours learning and spreading the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings). Along the way she helped found Nagaloka in 2002 and was ordained in 2006 into the Triratna Order following a six-week retreat in Dunkeld, Scotland. Dharmasuri lives primarily in Portland, Maine, though has spent over 20 years wintering in Georgia and Florida. She spent many years as the Chair for Nagaloka, retiring from the role in January 2021. She was also the Mitra Convener for Nagaloka, the movement representative for Triratna’s Internal Council and now the overall Mitra Convener for the US and Canada. In 2021 Dharmasuri became a Private Preceptor. Dharmasuri has a strong meditation practice, and the Dharma comes from her heart. Her love of the Dharma is noted in her name, Dharmasuri, which mean “heroine that embodies the path to Enlightenment.”