What does KORA mean?
KORA Community Center adopted our name from the beloved Tibetan practice of Kora, which refers to the act of walking around a sacred object, or “circumambulation”.
In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Kora is both a type of pilgrimage and a type of meditative practice. It is a way to purify negative karma, remove obstacles and generate blessings through positive action.​​​
Rituals of circumambulation and pilgrimage are found in many spiritual traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and many indigenous and shamanic lineages dating back to the beginnings of the human experience. These practices echo the cyclical nature of existence and the seasonal wanderings of nomadic migrations deeply rooted in the natural world.​
Buddhists circumambulate many things such as stupas, temples, sacred mountains and lakes, burial grounds and other sacred sites by walking around them in a clockwise direction while maintaining a state of presence and awareness.
In Buddhism, intention is held to be more important than ritual so ideally one engages in the practice of Kora with the whole self: Body (walking), Speech (reciting prayers, mantras or maintaining silence) and Mind (thinking beneficial thoughts and sending blessings to all beings).​
When we circumambulate a site as potent and profound as the Enlightenment Stupa at the heart of the KORA Community, holding a motivation that seeks wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all beings, we generate positive energy that radiates out in concentric circles of influence, sending powerful blessings into the community and beyond. Kora is particularly powerful when done at favorable times such as the full and new moons, the Solstices and Equinoxes or other auspicious days. Circling at least 3 times is customary, but the more rounds one does, the better!
Each step we take in Kora can move us forward on the path of expanding and deepening our capacity to embody the presence and loving kindness that is our true nature. Later, as we walk around in our regular life, we can bring this capacity into more and more of what we do on a daily basis and share the blessing with everyone we meet.
It is a practice that can truly transform us.
As Lama Atisha pointed out long ago:
"There is no greater practice than Kora"
