The Four Great Observances: Holy Days in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition

(By Kathy Wesley. Last revised 12.19.12)

Each year, Tibetan Buddhists around the world observe four “Great Occasions” or “Great Observances” tied to events in the life of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha.

These dates are figured on a lunar cycle, so the Julian calendar dates for these observances vary each year. However, the lunar calendar dates do not vary; they are given below for clarity.

It is said that each of these times are blessed due to the Buddha’s activities, and that the positive and negative effects of actions performed on these days are magnified (according to various sources, by the hundreds, thousands, or millions) due to the blessings of the Buddha.

For this reason, spiritual practices are emphasized and wrong-doing discouraged on these particular days.

Saka Dawa DuChen: Observance of the Buddha’s Birth, Enlightenment, and Death

Fifteenth Day of the Fourth Tibetan Lunar Month

{Quoted from A Yearbook of Buddhist Wisdom by Norma Levine)

On the Full moon day of the Fourth Tibetan Lunar month, three great events in the life of the Buddha are observed.

The birth of Prince Siddhartha, who later became the Buddha, was wondrous. His mother, Queen Mahamaya, had a dream prior to the birth – a dream of a magnificent white elephant that descended from the heavens. Celestial music sounding praises filed the sky. The elephant held a brilliant pink lotus flower in its trunk, placed it within the queen’s body, and then entered inside her effortlessly. She awoke filled with sensations of pure bliss and joy. Ten months later, on the way to her parents’ home, she stopped to rest in the garden of Lumbini, and there, holding the branch of an ashok tree for support the queen gave birth to a radiant boy.

“When the Bodhisattva came forth from his mother’s womb, two jets of water appeared to pour from the sky, one cool and one warm for bathing the Bodhisattva and his mother. As soon as the Bodhisattva was born, he stood firmly with his feet on the ground, then he took seven steps to the north, and with a white sunshade held over him, he surveyed each quarter. He uttered the words,  ”I am supreme in this world. This is the last birth.”

The enlightenment of Prince Siddhartha came “after years of practicing unimaginable austeries so that “all my limbs became like the knotted joints of withered creepers,” and “the skin of my belly and back met,” the monk Gautama — as Prince Siddhartha was then called — was near extinction but no closer to enlightenment. A young village girl, Sujata, with caring prepared a bowl of fresh milk with rice and graciously offered it to the emaciated ascetic. His senses immediately became alert.

Sitting under the massive branches of a bodhi tree, in what is now Bodh Gaya, Gautama began the world-shattering seven-day meditative insight that resulted in complete enlightenment. Here are the first words he spoke as the Buddha:

Seeking but not finding the house-builder,

I traveled through the round of countless births;

O painful is birth ever and again.

House-builder, you have now been seen;

You shall not build the house again.

Your rafters have been broken down;

Your ridge pole is demolished, too.

My mind has now attained the unformed nirvana

And reached the end of every kind of craving.

(quote from Bhikku Nanamoli, translator of The Life of the Buddha.)

There was a terrifying thunderstorm in the second watch of the night. When the third watch of the night had passed, the Buddha looked up and saw the morning star dazzling bright as a diamond in the dawn sky. To seal his enlightenment, he touched his hand to the ground and said, “The earth is my witness.”

Some time after his enlightenment, the Buddha set out on the road to Benares. He passed a monk walking the same road, who remarked on the radiance of his complexion and the serenity of his countenance. “Who is your teacher?” he asked of the Buddha.

The Buddha replied:

I have no teacher, and one like me

Exists nowhere in all the world

With all its gods, because I have

No person for my counterpart.

I am the Accomplished One of the world,

I am the Teacher Supreme.

I alone am the Fully Enlightened One

Whose fires are quenched and extinguished.

– The Buddha, from the translation by Bhikku Nanamoli, The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha

The Buddha’s death is called Parinirvana – passing into nirvana – because there is no death for the enlightened. The container dissolves and the great expanse of space merges with itself. Parinirvana is the third observance of this special day.

“Knowing the body is like foam, realizing its mirage-like nature, cutting off the flower-tipped sensual realm, one goes unseen by the King of Death.”

On the full moon day nearly fifty years after his enlightenment, the Buddha and his disciples walked to the little mud-walled town of Kushinigar near the modern-day Nepalese boarder. He placed himself on his side, facing north, with one foot overlapping the other, mindful and fully aware. Twin sal trees shed blossoms out of season to cover him, sandalwood powder fell from the sky, and celestial music resounded. His beloved attendant Ananda wept. “I declare this to you,” the Buddha said. “It is in the natural of all formations to dissolve. Attain perfection through diligence.”

Ashvaghosha writes that the last words of the Buddha’s were these:

” Everything comes to an end, though it may last for an eon … I have done what I could do both for myself and for others … I have disciplined in heaven and on earth, all those whom I could discipline … Hereafter … my dharma … shall abide for generations … among living beings. Therefore, recognize the true nature of the living world and do not be anxious; for separation cannot possibly be avoided … When the light of wisdom has dispelled the darkness of ignorance, when all existence has been seen as without substance, peace ensues [at life's end]. which seems to cure a long sickness at last … the time for my entry into nirvana has arrived. These are my last words.”

Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung 
Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung 
Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung •

We will be using an abbreviated form of the Chenrezik practice for the retreat.

Chenrezik is the bodhisattva of loving-kindness and compassion. His six-syllable mantra, OM MANI PADME HUNG, is the most-recited mantra in the Tibetan tradition.

A great event to start for those new to the Chenrezik practice!

Date:

Saturday, May 4th, 2013

9am to 5pm

Times:

The day will be broken into four sessions each lasting an hour and a half.

Please feel free to come for any or all of the sessions:

Session 1: 9 – 10:30am

Session 2: 10:30 – Noon

Lunch: 12 – 1pm

We will break for a brown bag lunch at noon. If you stay for lunch, please bring a vegetarian meal.

Session 3: 1 – 2:45pm

Session 4: 3:00 – 5pm

If you arrive during one of the sessions, someone will be available to get you started.

You may come and go on your own schedule .

The retreat is free for all; donations are welcome.

Please register by email to ad@columbusktc.org

Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung  
Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung  
Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung • Om Mani Peme Hung •

Dear Sangha,

This is an important update about the webcast teaching by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche on April 6th and 7th, called Loving Kindness and Compassion as the Path to Buddha Nature.

Due to lack of internet connectivity at Columbus KTC, the webcast teaching has been moved to an alternate location.  Please email memberatlarge@columbusktc.org for details on this location.

Karmapa Chenno!

April, 27 12pm – 4pm

To benefit Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Woodstock NY

Do you have more rupas than you have shrine? More malas than you have wrists? Or, do you find your shrine rupa-less, your wrist mala-less? Well, these are great opportunities to support CKTC’s home monastery, Karma Tryiyana Dharmachakra!

CKTC is holding a Dharma Yard Sale: donate your Dharma items, or shop for items at the sale. Or, do both! The proceeds of the sale will go to our home monestary.

So, bring your Dharma items to CKTC by Sunday, April 21st. And, join us for the Dharma Yard Sale on Saturday, April 27th, 1pm to 4pm.

 March 30, 10am – 1pm

Most non-profit organizations rely on volunteers to support their work one way or another.  At Columbus KTC, every job, no matter how big or small, is completed by volunteers.

The jobs done by volunteers are as varied as the people who do them.  A volunteer might set up the shrine room for a group practice, wash dishes, manage our finances, or teach a class.  Regardless of the actual tasks they do, all of these volunteers have at least one thing in common:  the time, energy, and resources they bring are critically important to fulfilling our mission.

Because volunteers potentially give a tremendous amount of time and effort, an important question for our Sangha is, “How can we best engage and support our volunteers?”  In this workshop, we will try to answer that question.

A light vegetarian lunch will be served.

Please RSVP to khmiracle@gmail.com

The book selection is THE PRACTICE OF LOJONG by Traleg Kyabgon

For many centuries Indian and Tibetan Buddhists have employed this collection of pithy, penetrating Dharma slogans to develop compassion, equanimity, loving-kindness, and joy for others. In this volume, Traleg Kyabgon offers a fresh translation of the slogans as well as in-depth new commentary of each. After living among and teaching Westerners for over twenty years, his approach is uniquely insightful into the ways that the slogans could be misunderstood or misinterpreted within our culture.

Weekly readings:

2/18/13:  pp. ix-28

2/25/13:  pp. 29-57

3/4/13:    pp. 57-81

3/11/13:  pp. 82-119

3/18/13:  pp. 120-146

3/25/13:  pp. 146-176

4/1/13:    pp. 176-212

4/8/13:   pp. 212-245

Mondays 7-9pm at the Travonna Coffee House, 1195 N. High St.  They have a private meeting room that we use.  Please plan on making some sort of purchase from our generous hosts while you are there.  You can see their menu at the link below.

Travonna Coffee House (www.travonnacoffee.com) is just south of the intersection of 5th Ave & N High St on the west side of High St.  It’s very cool, lots of artwork and a nice menu.  There is inexpensive off street metered parking just a couple of doors south of the shop.

Loving Kindness and Compassion

As the Path to Buddha Nature

A webcast teaching from Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche

April 5 – 7, 2012

Location:  Please email memberatlarge@columbusktc.org for details on location.

www.columbusktc.org

Schedule:

Friday:

7:00 p.m. Teaching

Saturday:

10:00 a.m. Meditation

10:30 a.m. -Noon Teaching

3:00 p.m. Meditation

3:30-5:00 p.m. Teaching

Sunday:

10:00 a.m. Meditation

10:30 a.m. – Noon Teaching

2:00 p.m. Meditation

2:30-4:00 p.m. teaching

 Cost:

CKTC Members in good standing: $35 for all sessions or $10 for individual sessions

Non-Members: $40 all sessions all sessions or $15 for individual sessions.

Registration:

Make checks payable to “Columbus KTC” and return by mail to Columbus KTC, 331 S. Grubb St. Columbus, OH 43215

Or send PayPal funds to paypal@columbusktc.org

You may also register on our website: www.columbusktc.org

Registration fees help to cover the cost of teaching expenses; however, no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. Please contact director@columbusktc.org  to request financial assistance.

About Rinpoche:

Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche was born in 1924 in Rabshi, Kham, Tibet. A master of Tibetan Buddhism, Rinpoche has been a monk since the age of twelve, and since 1976 has devotedly served His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa by spreading the authentic teachings of the Karma Kagyu lineage in America. He serves as abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery – the North American seat of His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje.

On the Nyunge Retreat: A Practitioner’s Guide
A 2-night teaching
Thursday, March 7th & Friday, March 8th at 7pm
$5 each night
Nyunge is a fasting practice of the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion.  In preparation for the Nyunge retreat, Lama Yeshe will speak on the significance of this practice.  He will discuss the meaning of various parts of the Nyunge text, as well as the visualizations involved.  On Friday, he will also explain the commitments of this practice and the structure of the retreat to follow.

NOTE: Attendance is limited to those with prior exposure to Tibetan Buddhism.

Register here

See the flyer here: KTC Nyugne Retreat flyer – 2-page – gray

The Nyun-nge Retreat
Saturday, March 9th at 5am to Monday, March 11th at 8am
$50
The Nyung-ne Retreat is designed to purify negative karma and accumulate merit and wisdom. It is a two-day practice focusing on the generation of the Bodhisattva Attitude, the strict keeping of vows, and the recitation of the 1000-arm Chenrezig sadhana.
Chenrezig is the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and his practice aids our development of loving-kindness and compassion. It is said that to accomplish the Nyung-ne, even once, can sever the currents leading to rebirth in the lower realms of existence.

Retreat Schedule:
Saturday, 3/9:

The retreat begins at 5am with Sojong [Pure Conduct] Vows. There will be no breakfast, but a vegetarian lunch and beverages will be provided. Practice will conclude at 5:30pm.

Sunday, 3/10:

The retreat begins at 5am There will be fasting and silence all day, except for the chanting of the sadhana. No meals provided.

Monday, 3/11:
The retreat begins at 5am and concludes at 8am, followed by breakfast.

You may participate in some or all of the retreat schedule. Costs vary depending on the length of time you choose to participate.
Refuge is required.

Due to the nature of this retreat, people are permitted to stay overnight at the Columbus KTC. There are no bathing facilities at the center; however, restrooms are available. If you wish to stay at the center, please mention this when you register.

Retreat Costs:
Full Retreat:  $50
Saturday Only:  $40
Sunday Only:  $30
Half Day:  $15
(No Saturday lunch)
Registration is required except for those choosing to attend for just a half day.

Register for the retreat here

See the flyer here: KTC Nyugne Retreat flyer – 2-page – gray

A public talk
Wednesday, March 6th at 7pm
$5
We encounter many obstacles and difficulties in our lives, and we choose how
we respond to them.  Some of our reactions empower us, while some leave
us helpless.  Understanding which responses help and harm us is the key to
bringing about benefit, even among adversity.  Lama Yeshe will give a similar
talk in Newtown, Connecticut, where he will also sit on a panel with Lama Kathy
Wesley and others who represent Buddhist and mental health perspectives.

You can pre-register here

Download the flyer here:KTC Nyugne Retreat flyer – 2-page – gray