On January 19th, 2025, Dzokden Rime Institute hosted its 1st Annual Pet Blessing Ceremony, an event that touched the hearts of over 100 animals and their dedicated owners. Under the guidance of Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche, the esteemed Buddhist master of our temple, this special ceremony became an unforgettable occasion of love, compassion, and spiritual growth for all involved.
Families traveled from near and far, some taking long journeys by train, to share in the auspicious event. The pets in attendance, including bunnies, birds, cats, and dogs, were showered with blessings and prayers that not only brought joy to their hearts but also set the stage for their future well-being of being reborn in a higher realm and a potential human rebirth. With a human rebirth and the karmic connection to Dharma their karmic continuum will eventually lead to liberation. The smiles on the faces of the pet owners were a testament to the deep sense of peace and happiness they felt, knowing their beloved companions were receiving such sacred attention.
A Sacred Ceremony for Pets and Their Families
The pet blessing ceremony, deeply rooted in Buddhist principles, aimed to help animals free themselves from negative karmic influences of lower rebirths and ensure their future liberation. It was a powerful opportunity for families to offer spiritual support for their pets while deepening their own practice of compassion.
In Buddhism, all sentient beings, not just humans, are considered worthy of peace and happiness. Our pets, who are often treated like family members, deserve the same compassion and care. The event provided a meaningful way to extend this love to animals, recognizing their mulitlife spiritual journeys and offering blessings that would influence their karmic paths, both in this life and in future rebirths.
Rituals and Blessings for Every Pet
The blessing ceremony included a variety of sacred rituals designed to benefit the animals in profound ways. Here’s a glimpse of what took place:
Chanting & Mantras: Rinpoche led the recitation of holy mantras, creating an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. These chants had a calming effect on the animals, helping them feel more relaxed and spiritually nurtured.
Circumambulating the Stupa: The temple’s powerful stupa played a central role in the ceremony. Families and their pets walked around the stupa, generating positive karma and creating auspicious conditions for their future. Walking animals around the stupas is a powerful activity that an owner can do at any time to help purify karma.
Blessed Water & Rituals: The animals were sprinkled with water that had been infused with blessings, purifying their negative karma and promoting peace and harmony in their lives.
Sacred Gifts: Each animal received a personalized blessing, along with precious gifts such as blessed sand, mantra recitations, and a protective blessing cord. The owners, too, were deeply moved by these sacred offerings, knowing they were helping their pets on their spiritual journey.
Why the 1st Annual Pet Blessing Was So Special
Cultivating Compassion: Attending the blessing ceremony was a powerful reminder for pet owners of the importance of compassion. It wasn’t just about caring for their own happiness, but about recognizing the interconnectedness of all sentient beings. Many families expressed how the experience deepened their bond with their pets and reinforced their own spiritual practices.
Health and Happiness in This Life: While no one can guarantee a perfect life, the blessings offered at the ceremony helped improve the karmic conditions for the animals’ health and happiness. Pet owners left with a renewed sense of peace, knowing they had done something meaningful for their companions.
A Better Future Rebirth: According to Buddhist teachings, the blessing ceremony aimed to improve the karmic conditions for each animal’s future rebirth. For many pet owners, the idea of their pets having a more favorable future, potentially even a human rebirth, was a source of comfort and hope.
Protecting Pets from Lower Realm Rebirths: The ceremony also helped free the animals from the possibility of lower realm rebirths.
Families Reflect on the Experience
The families who attended the event expressed how deeply moved they were by the ceremony. Many shared that the experience left them with a sense of peace and fulfillment, knowing they had taken steps to ensure their pets’ future well-being. Several owners even commented on how calm and serene their pets seemed after the blessings, a testament to the power of the rituals and the sacred energy created by the event.
Khentrul Rinpoche’s guidance throughout the ceremony resonated with many attendees. His teachings about the karmic connections between pets and their owners, and the importance of supporting their spiritual journeys, were a source of inspiration.
A New Tradition at Dzokden Rime Institute
The first annual pet blessing ceremony was an immense success, creating an atmosphere of joy, peace, and interconnectedness. The event was not just about offering blessings for pets, but also about uniting people in a shared practice of compassion. The families who attended felt deeply grateful to be part of something so meaningful, and the happiness they experienced was palpable.
Looking ahead, Dzokden Rime Institute is already excited to host the 2nd Annual Pet Blessing Ceremony in 2026. We are committed to making this event a cherished tradition where animals and their families can continue to receive blessings for peace, health, happiness, and spiritual growth.
The Rimé Institute developed Khentrul Rinpoche’s book series Unveiling Your Sacred Truth and the commentary the Hidden Treasure of the Profound Path over many years. As time went on, we have improved the editions. We had some early editions in our storage unit that would be of more benefit to sentient beings, so we sent out these early English language editions of Khentrul Rinpoche’s books to libraries and prisons throughout the English and Chinese speaking world
Why include prison libraries
The Kalachakra Tantra says that even those who have committed the 5 heinous crimes can learn to practice Kalachakra and take the initiation. Everyone has Buddha-nature and therefore has the potential to realize their own nature. We want to make sure that as many people as possible have access to these teachings either through a public library system or prison library system. Everyone who has interest and potential should be able to come into contact with the Dharma. Research also shows that people who come into contact with spirituality and religious training in prison are less likely to commit crimes once released and therefore less likely to return to prison.
How the public helped make this happen?
We offered these books for free, however we relied on the generosity of our donors to cover the shipping costs of the books. We have raised enough money to successfully sent out up to 300 books for this project with the majority of books being received in Australia, Canada, US, UK & New Zealand. Through Dzokden we are some of the first backers of a Compassion in Prison project in the USA working to connect both inmates and correctional officers to Dharma.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the project to make this possible. Because of your generosity, so many sentient beings are able to benefit from the Dharma.
I would like to say thank you, thank you, thank you so, so much all of you, whoever is participating Rime Institute’s activities, classes, translations, and even donators and everybody.
This is very, very meaningful. So please be aware this is incredible meaningful and beneficial for everybody. Why? Because the Dzokden International’s, the goal is perfect peace and harmony of Golden Age. So that is whether people are aware or not, it is everybody’s heart desire in the most absolute, the goal, you know. So this is incredible profound, yet very, very practical. Each human being really needs that. The whole world need that. And also eventually this is benefit all sentient beings.
So no matter how we are small, or we are not incredible wealthy yet, or your donations, or your participate, no matter how small and you are contributing these oceans of profound activity. So please be aware of this and rejoice. And I say again, Happy New Year, and we’re going to have great year 2021 because we done incredible merit. So this is going to be source of perfect, each individual’s life, and our goal of the Golden Age for the world.
We have had a magnificent long weekend of volunteer activities at the Land of Shambhala accomplishing many tasks that coincided with Saka Dawa.
We completed the prayer flag raising at the top of the hill whilst listening to prayers from Zhamtang for the local deities and dharma protectors.
Beside the entrance driveway, we raised 16 vertical prayer flag poles in the ground which flicker with brilliance in the wind.
Also lining the entrance driveway behind the prayer flag poles we planted, mulched and protected eight of our red maple feature trees which will have a vibrant red hue in the spring and summer months.
We finished off the weekend with many prayers, a smoke offering and sealed the merit with a dedication prayers to conclude the auspicious weekend.
A big thank our fabulous volunteer sangha who worked tirelessly to make this all happen.
Want to get involved? Our upcoming Land of Shambhala volunteer days are scheduled every two weeks from June through to September with the next one being on Saturday 20th June 2020. Please check out our event calendar for further details and to register your interest in joining us.
Traditionally, people sponsor prayer rituals with aspirations for generating merit, clearing obstacles, a happier life, prosperity, better rebirth for their loved ones, long life, peace, and enlightenment for all beings.
We are offering the opportunity to our community near and far to create a karmic connection with these auspicious events in celebration of Kalachakra New Year (Nagpa Dawa) and the Land of Shambhala Consecration. Merit during this time is multiplied 100,000 times.
SPONSOR RITUAL ACTIVITIES From May 7-10th, many rituals to make the best conditions possible for the retreat center.
SPONSOR THE TREASURE VASE & LAND CONSECRATION We will bury a vase at Land of Shambhala and consecrate 108 additional vases to create conditions for prosperity and harmony to arise.
SPONSOR THE NAGPA DAWA KALACHAKRA TSOK PUJA On the full moon of Nagpa Dawa at the Land Consecration ceremony, we will hold an overnight camping ritual feast. We will need to rent a tent and many supplies as well as make offerings.
SPONSOR PRAYER FLAGS Prayer flags are for the enhancement of health, longevity, wealth, and all desirable qualities. The flags will be hung for Kalachakra New Year. Putting names on prayer flags helps clear obstacles for the coming year. Funds raised above the costs of the prayer flags will go to supporting all Land of Shambhala consecration activities.
We will read the names of all sponsors and their dedication each day during the events. For those sponsoring prayer flags, the names will additionally be written on the flags. For those sponsoring the Consecration rituals, the names will additionally be offered with the treasure vase.
