Saga Dawa Day

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“When practicing the Dharma, be like a hungry yak eating grass”

~Padampa Sangye, in Words of My Perfect Teacher

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Lama Zangmo writes….

The month commemorating the main events in the life of Lord Buddha is called Saga Dawa, as well as ‘Month of Merits’. The Full Moon day of the fourth lunar month commemorates the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha and is especially important for Buddhists.

It is taught that whatever we do on that day, positive or negative, is ‘multiplied a hundred thousand times.’ For this reason there is special emphasis on practicing Dharma in all its aspects; doing positive actions, avoiding negative actions and meditating more. It is also known as a Wheel Day, and practitioners generally remember the great deeds of the Buddha and make a conscious effort to practice generosity, recite prayers, and apply the Dharma in whatever ways one is capable.

This year Saga Dawa falls on Friday 5th June and we will hold a full day of online retreat with meditation sessions throughout the day. Together we can focus our minds through reciting some of the great aspiration prayers dedicated to the benefit of the world.

I wanted to let all of you know this will be happening, and that the full programme is now available. These days we are not able to meet in the actual shrine room, but we can still apply ourselves in this new virtual world of Dharma practice that we find ourselves in. It is difficult to plan the future, but we can make the best of our present situation.

So I hope we can spend this day together, like many hungry yaks never stopping their grazing, and at the end we share the merit ‘multiplied a hundred thousand times’ through reciting the beautiful Mani dedication for all beings in the six realms.