Buddha Days
Great Holy Days of the Buddhist Calendar
There are four major celebrations in the Buddhist Calendar each year. The dates below are according to the Tibetan Lunar Calendar. They are as follows:
- The Fifteen Days of Miracles (Days 1-15 of Month 1; Day 15 is called Chotrul Duchen): Guru Shakyamuni Buddha shows miraculous powers in order to subdue six Tirthika, or non-Buddhist teachers, who lacked faith in him, and to inspire more faith in his followers.
- Saka Dawa (Day 15 of Month 4): Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment and parinirvana.
- Chokhor Duchen (Day 4 of Month 6): Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s first teaching.
- Lhabab Duchen (Day 22 of Month 9): Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s return to Earth from the god realm Thirty-Three after teaching Dharma for several months to the gods there, including his mother, Mayadevi, who had died a week after Buddha’s birth and been reborn there.
Colophon: This information is excerpted from the FPMT’s website.
Celebrate the Buddha Day at DCI
Buddha Day Schedule
Tuesday 19 November 2019 is the Buddha Day Lhabab Duchen celebrating Shakyamuni Buddha’s descent from the God Realm of the Thirty-three where Buddha had gone to give teachings to his mother.
Schedule for 19 November (Tuesday):
7pm Community Turning of the Prayer Wheel and Circumambulating with Geshe Wangchen
7.30pm Shakyamuni Buddha Puja
Everyone is welcome! If you wish, you can also sponsor offerings and dedications on this powerful day.
Powerful Days to Create Merit!
On Buddha Days, karmic results are multiplied one hundred million times, as cited by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic. As Buddha Days are particularly powerful, it is encouraged to put effort into creating merit through virtuous actions.
