Festival of Lights & Merit

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Saka Dawa Duchen
Sunday, 4. June 2023
 

offering robes

Root Institute for Wisdom Culture is arranging an extensive array of offerings and pujas on Saka Dawa.

Saka Dawa Duchen is the anniversary of the day that Shakyamuni Buddha was born, attained enlightenment and showed the aspect of passing away into Mahaparinirvana.

Saka Dawa Duchen is one of the four great holy days of the Tibetan calendar, each of which celebrates an anniversary of Shakyamuni Buddha’s display of extraordinary powerful deeds for sentient beings’ sake. On these four days, karmic results are multiplied by 100 million, as taught in the vinaya text ‘Treasure of Quotations and Logic’.

Falling on June 4 this year, it is a day when karmic results are multiplied by 300 million times as it commemorates Shakyamuni Buddha’s three major life events.

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche mentioned many times his wish for:

the pujas being sponsored and offered on each of the four Buddha days to continue forever, or for as long as the monasteries and nunneries exist.

Rinpoche has mentioned how important they are for the success of the whole organisation and for FPMT to be most beneficial to all beings.

We are so honoured and committed to continue this request of Rinpoche.

On Saka Dawa (June 4, this year), we are offering:

  • Butter lamps
  • flowers and prayer flags to the Buddha statue at Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhgaya
  • sponsored Guru and Protector Pujas by Namgyal Monastery
  • Shakyamuni Buddha puja at Root Institute and recitation of the Sutra Remembering the Three Jewels.

You are welcome to join in these offerings in person and/or sponsor the offerings of lights, flowers, prayer flags and pujas for this day. Sponsors' names are read out in the evening at the Bodhi Tree.

Accumulate skies of merit for you, your loved ones and for all mother sentient beings during the auspicious day of Saka Dawa!

Sponsorship opportunities:

  • Butter lamps
  • Flower offerings at the Mahabodhi Stupa
  • Tibetan Prayer flags to be hung at the banks of the Muchalinda Lake, beside Mahabodhi Stupa
  • Pujas at Namgyal Monastery.

 

General information about the spiritual programme

The span of our spiritual programme is approximately six months – the last few months of one year and the early months of the next – during the cooler season in Bodhgaya.

On the appropriate dates in the Tibetan calendar year-round, however, we observe the standard pujas of the Gelug tradition and these are drop-in sessions which anyone can attend. If you are in Bodhgaya and would like to come along, please feel welcome to join us for:

  • Tara Puja
  • Medicine Buddha Puja
  • Guru Puja with Tsog
  • Protector Puja.

Unless otherwise indicated, registration is required for all events except:

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