Every Saturday at 2:00 PM, the shrine room at our center fills up. Some people have been coming for years. Some walked in for the first time that morning, unsure whether they were allowed to. If you have been meaning to come but did not know what to expect, here is what a Saturday afternoon at Sera Jey Wisdom Center actually looks like.
What happens
We gather for weekly prayers. There is no registration, no fee, and no requirement to be a Buddhist. You take off your shoes at the door, find a place to sit, and join in as much or as little as you are able.
The prayers are led in the Gelug tradition — the same liturgy recited in the monasteries of that lineage, carried here from Sera Jey Monastery in South India, with which our center is affiliated. Much of it is chanted in Tibetan. If you do not know the words, you are not failing at anything. Newcomers usually spend their first visit simply listening, and that is a complete way to attend.
People bring offerings — flowers, fruit, incense, a butter lamp — and place them at the shrine before we begin. You do not have to bring anything. Coming with empty hands and an open mind is itself an offering.
Why we do it together
You can pray alone, and many of our members do, at home, every day. But something different happens in a room full of people reciting the same aspiration at the same time. Attention that wanders when you sit by yourself tends to steady when it is carried by others. On the days you arrive tired, distracted or grieving, the room holds the practice for you until you can rejoin it.
This is also how a center becomes more than a building. Over a year of Saturdays, the people around you stop being strangers. When someone in the community is ill, or has lost a parent, the names are spoken here and the prayers are dedicated to them. That is not a small thing to belong to.
Coming for the first time
- Arrive a little early. Ten or fifteen minutes gives you time to settle rather than rush in.
- Dress simply. Modest, comfortable clothing that you can sit in. Nothing formal is expected.
- Sit where you like. Chairs and cushions are both available. If your knees protest, take a chair — no one minds.
- Ask afterwards. Our Geshes and the members are glad to answer questions once the prayers have finished. No question is too basic.
If Saturday does not work for you, the center is open daily from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM for offerings, quiet practice, or a conversation. You can also see what else is coming up on our Upcoming Events page, or send us the names of those you would like included in the prayers.
An open door
People arrive here for very different reasons — curiosity, grief, a habit of practice, a friend who invited them. None of those reasons is better than another, and no one at the door will ask you which one is yours. The invitation is simply this: come as you are, sit down, and see.
By the merit of this gathering, may all beings be free from suffering, and may peace grow in every home.
Sera Jey Wisdom Center · Ruko Savoy Blok C1 No. 31 & 32, Jakarta Garden City · WhatsApp +62 813 2488 4241