Yesterday, Tara Day, following the advice of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, hundreds of Kadampas around the world joined in a virtual Tara puja. In six sessions over a 24-hour period, we recited prayers and requests to Buddha Tara to bless our world and swiftly bring all the suffering to an end.

The puja was streamed from the Temple for World Peace at Manjushri KMC, the mother center of NKT-IKBU. Starting at 2:00 am UK time and then every four hours until the last session at 10:00 pm, people on every continent, regardless of their local time, joined in.

A union of pure minds
It was a very powerful and very blessed experience - a perfect illustration of the international Buddhist union that has emanated from Venerable Geshe-la’s heart. For although we might be geographically separated, in our hearts we are all together - sharing a common intention, a common wish - and mentally creating a new, pure world.

And just as all the participants were united, all living beings were also directly present in our minds. We feel their pain and deeply wish for it to swiftly cease. In the mind of compassion there is no distancing.

Sharing the joy
We asked people to take photos and we have received so many wonderful images of special people with special minds deeply and sincerely praying for the world we cannot feature them all in one article. So we will share them over the next few days. Stand by for a gallery of the faces modern Kadampa Buddhism doing what we do best - sincere prayer. It is hard to look at these pictures and read these words without tears of joy and gratitude welling up.

10,000 kilometers away but together in the heart
We start with an inspiring gallery from Kadampas in Hong Kong. Geographically, almost 10,000 kilometers from the mother center, but mentally right there in the Temple with the Venerable Spiritual Guide.