Four Great Festival Days

There are four Great Festival Days throughout the year that celebrate different significant aspects of the life of the Buddha.  On these days, positive or negative actions are multiplied by 10 Million times.

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Chotrul Düchen:  Display of Miraculous Activities

Chotrul Düchen (Wyl. cho ‘phrul dus chen), the ‘Festival of Miracles’ — one of the four major Buddhist holidays. It occurs on the full moon (the fifteenth day) of the first Tibetan month, which is called Bumgyur Dawa. The first fifteen days of the year celebrate the fifteen days on which, in order to increase the merit and the devotion of future disciples, Buddha displayed a different miracle.

 

This is a powerful day for practice.  It is believed that the effects of both positive and negative actions are multiplied ten million times.

 

 

 

 

Saga Dawa Düchen:  The Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana
Of the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni

Saga Dawa Düchen (Tib. ས་ག་ཟླ་བ་དུས་ཆེན་, Wyl. sa ga zla ba dus chen), the ‘Festival of Vaishakha’ — one of the four major Buddhist holidays. It occurs on the full moon (the 15th day) of the fourth Tibetan lunar month, which is called Saga Dawa in Tibetan. It celebrates Buddha Shakyamuni’s enlightenment and parinirvana. At the age of thirty-five Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodhgaya. This day also marks the anniversary of his parinirvana at Kushinagara.

Chökhor Düchen:  The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma

Chökhor Düchen (Tib. ཆོས་འཁོར་དུས་ཆེན་, Wyl. chos ‘khor dus chen), the ‘Festival of Turning the Wheel of Dharma’ — one of the four major Buddhist holidays. It occurs on the fourth day of the sixth Tibetan lunar month. For seven weeks after his enlightenment, Buddha did not teach. Finally, encouraged by Indra and Brahma, he turned the Wheel of Dharma for the first time, at Sarnath, by teaching the ‘Four Noble Truths’.

Lha Bab Düchen:  The Descent from Tushita Heaven

Lha Bab Düchen (Wyl. lha babs dus chen), the ‘Festival of the Descent from Heaven’ — one of the four major Buddhist holidays. It occurs on the 22nd day of the ninth Tibetan month. Buddha’s mother Mayadevi was reborn in Indra’s heaven. To repay her kindness and to liberate her, and also to benefit the gods, Buddha spent three months teachings in the realm of the gods. When he was about to return to this world, Indra and Brahma manifested three stairs of 80,000 yojanas each reaching this world in Sankisa. As the Buddha walked down the central one, they accompanied him to his left and right carrying umbrellas to honour him. He descended to earth in Sankisa, which is located in modern Uttar Pradesh, and which is counted among the eight holy places.