LHABAB DÜCHEN AND THANKSGIVING TSOG
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 (TBA)
Lha Bab Düchen, the “Festival of the Descent from Heaven,” is one of the four major Buddhist holidays. The celebration of this auspicious occasion occurs on the 22nd day of the ninth month of the Tibetan calendar, which falls on October 31st this year. Most scholars agree that Buddha’s mother, Mayadevi, died seven days after the Buddha’s birth and was reborn in the Tusita Heaven, but seven years after the Buddha’s enlightenment, she went down to Trayastimsa (The Heaven of Thirty-Three) to visit. Having attained enlightenment, Gautam Buddha became aware of his mother presence there, and while it was a place where numerous gods resided, it was also a realm where desire existed and liberation from samsara was not possible for mortals reborn there. The Buddha, wishing to help his mother, traveled there and spent three months teaching the truth to her and to the many deities inhabiting this heavenly realm. Back on Earth, his disciples worried about his long absence and wanted him to return. Consequently, Maugalyayana, one of his closest disciples, pleaded with him. The Buddha was reluctant to return, but after a long debate between the two, he was persuaded to do so. He walked down the center of three stairways made of beryl, gold, and silver that Viswakarma, the god of machines, had made for his journey back. On his left and right, the gods Indra and Brahma accompanied him carrying umbrellas to honor him, and as he made his long descent, the stairways began to vanish, leaving at the end only a small portion which the Emperor Ashoka later built a temple around to commemorate this event. He landed at a mountain peak known today as Sankahya, which is located in Basantpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, and his descent is considered one of the great deeds of the Buddha. In the Tibetan tradition, this is a day for making prayers and practicing virtue since all merit created on this special day is multiplied 100 million times.
October 31st also mark the conclusion of Kyabje Daknak Rinpoche’s visit and teachings in the United States, and since on this auspicious day we make prayers for the welfare of all sentient beings and for the long lives of all of our teachers and mentors, we would also like to offer our appreciation to Kyabje Daknak Rinpoche by making a Tsog offering in gratitude for his visit, as we pray for his long life and for the continued presence, growth and success of this monastery, which honors the legacy of Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche.
Please join us for the thanksgiving Tsog and luncheon given in appreciation of Kyabje Daknak Rinpoche’s visit and generosity. May actions accomplished during this visit, and the merit generated, be dedicated to the flourishing of the peerless lineage of Lama Je Tsongkhapa’s Geden Ear Whispered Lineage for the benefit of all migrating sentient beings. Sarva Mangalam!
Please indicate your intention to attend by emailing us at: daknakteaching2018@gmail.com or calling 317-283-6781 or by using the registration form on our website (www.dgklbuddhistmonastery.org) under the program tab. As always, events at Dagom Geden Kunkyob Ling are free of charge; however, any contributions to support our mission and efforts to preserve and disseminate the Holy Dharma are sincerely appreciated. Your support, regardless of its size, enables us to continue to preserve and protect the Holy Dharma for countless years to com