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Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khandro Tsering Kunga Bum-ma on Lhabab Duchen offering puja at Swayambhunath Stupa, Nepal, October 2021.
On November 1, we celebrate Lhabab Duchen, one of the four great holy days in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the day the Buddha Shakyamuni descended to Earth from the God Realm of the Thirty-Three after teaching the Dharma to the gods and his mother, Mayadevi, who died seven days after his birth and was reborn there. It is a day that reminds us of the Buddha’s great compassion and kindness, and offers a powerful opportunity to create virtue and dedicate merit for the welfare of all beings.
For many practitioners, Lhabab Duchen is a time for reflection, gratitude, and rejoicing in the countless acts of loving-kindness, generosity, and Dharma activity taking place around the world. According to Buddhist tradition, the merit created through virtuous actions on this holy day is multiplied 100 million times, making it a particularly meaningful occasion for practice and auspicious activities.
The extensive prayers and offerings carried out on Lhabab Duchen were established by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1995 through the Puja Fund and they have continued year after year ever since. They are dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the flourishing of the Dharma, and the success and protection of FPMT and its activities for the benefit of sentient beings.
Extensive offerings at Chenrezig Institute, Australia.
This practices and offerings happening on Lhabab Duchen include recitations of the Prajnaparamita Sutra by Gyudmed Tantric Monastery; Lama Chopa, the King of Prayers, and the Chanting of the Names of Manjushri by Kopan Monastery; and Medicine Buddha Puja and other prayers by Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery.
Offerings will also be made to holy objects and sacred sites. The Boudhanath and Swayambhunath stupas in Nepal will be freshly painted, and new umbrellas will be offered to their pinnacles. In Bodhgaya, India, a new set of robes will be offered to the main Buddha statue at the Mahabodhi Temple.
Precious Dharma texts will be printed, including the Golden Light Sutra, Arya Sanghata Sutra, Vajra Cutter Sutra, Sutra of Great Liberation, and Amitayus Long Life Sutra. The Stupa Fund will be sponsoring the creation of tsa-tsas of Mitukpa, the Three Long Life Deities, and Kadampa stupas. Meanwhile, through the Animal Liberation Fund, 700 animals will be liberated, protecting living beings and embodying compassion through meaningful action.
Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and Zong Rinpoche at Manjushri Institute, UK, 1978. Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
This year, we are also honoring the anniversary of Zong Rinpoche’s parinirvana with tsog and other offerings to the Sangha at Ganden Shartse Monastery. This is a profound opportunity to create merit in connection with a great master whose teachings continue to inspire students across many countries and cultures.
Lhabab Duchen is also an extraordinary occasion to make offerings to and support the ordained Sangha and we do this through the Puja Fund, offerings will be made to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and all of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus, to the Sangha in our IMI communities, and to all of the thousands of ordained Sangha who are performing pujas and prayers on this auspicious day. By supporting the Sangha, we help create the conditions for the precious teachings to be preserved, practiced, and transmitted for the benefit of future generations.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche also gave advice on which individual practices to perform on this special merit-multiplying day.
Above all, Lhabab Duchen is a day for rejoicing: in the Buddha’s compassionate activity, in the prayers and offerings being made throughout the global community, and in the collective efforts of so many people working to bring benefit to sentient beings.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche wearing his mantra hat and jacket someone had just offered, joking with Sangha at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington State, USA, November 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
We can rejoice in every Dharma text printed, every holy object created, every animal protected, every offering made, and every prayer recited. We can also rejoice in the kindness of the monastics performing these practices and of the donors, benefactors, volunteers, and supporters who help sustain them.
Those who wish to participate through offerings or sponsorship are welcome to do so. Most importantly, everyone is invited to rejoice in these virtuous activities and dedicate the limitless merit for the happiness and wellbeing of all beings.
Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.