Shogtsok Puja

Shogtsok Puja is a powerful Tibetan Buddhist ritual of tsok offering (feast offering), performed to purify negativities, restore harmony, and accumulate vast merit and wisdom. The term Shogtsok comes from “shog” (to gather or assemble) and “tsok” (offering), meaning the gathering of offerings and practitioners to invoke blessings and renew sacred connections.

Purpose of the Shogtsok Puja

The puja is performed to:

• Purify karmic obscurations – cleansing negativities, broken commitments, and disturbances in one’s spiritual path.

• Restore samaya – repairing and strengthening one’s sacred vows and connection with teachers, deities, and Dharma.

• Generate merit and wisdom – through making extensive offerings, practitioners accumulate the conditions needed for both worldly success and spiritual realization.

• Pacify obstacles – removing hindrances related to health, prosperity, relationships, or spiritual progress.

• Invoke blessings – inviting the presence of enlightened beings, protectors, and guardians to bless individuals, families, or communities.

How the Puja is Performed

• Offerings: A variety of symbolic offerings are prepared such as food, drinks, incense, flowers, and ritual substances representing generosity and abundance.

• Mantra Recitation: Practitioners recite prayers, mantras, and invocations to enlightened beings and protectors, transforming the offerings into sacred nectar.

• Dedication: The merit generated is dedicated to the well-being of all sentient beings, as well as for the removal of specific obstacles or the fulfillment of positive aspirations.

Significance

The Shogtsok Puja is not only a practice of making offerings but also an act of profound spiritual renewal. By participating, practitioners align themselves with enlightened energy, strengthen their devotion, and cultivate a compassionate heart dedicated to the benefit of all beings.