Question asked by Marcus Foo
Hi Pastors, hope that you all and Kechara are doing well.
I have a question regarding the Lama Chopa puja.
As in, when is the right time to perform the puja? And can it only be recited by those who have the appropriate Je Tzin Sin Ma (Tsongkhapa) initiation to perform the puja properly? I also understand that Tsog offering is performed within the puja which can only be done by those who have the high Tantric initiation but if the Lama Chopa puja can be done by those without initiation we can just recite Migtsema a number of times instead of Tsog right?
Also, when is the most appropriate time to chant this kind of puja as well?
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Hi Marcus!
Thank you for your question. Lama Chopa is a very, very powerful puja. It calls upon the energies of your guru, the lineage lamas, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma Protectors. It generates a lot of merit. It can be recited by anyone, however if you receive tantric initiation you can engage in the associated visualisations and ritual.
The puja can be done any time to generate a lot of merit. In fact it is done daily in the monasteries. It can be recited any time.
Yes, if you do not have an appropriate initiation, you do not perform the Tsok section. You just recite Migtsema at this point. I hope this helps.