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TODAY we celebrate Chokhor Duchen (depending on timezone, it’s July 28, the 4th day of the 6th lunar month). #ChokhorDuchen
Video:
Editor Lee Kane of Buddha Weekly, celebrates with a podcast (video) visualizing in 2 minutes, stumbling on the Buddha’s First Teaching at Sarnath, Deer Park. (From an 18 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlUhiD20_CU&t with the full podcast as a video)
TODAY IS YOUR “KARMA UPGRADE DAY: July 28 = Your Karma Upgrade Day!
WHY THIS DAY IS IMPORTANT
Buddha’s first teaching = Birth of the Dharma itself. Of the four Holy Days dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha each year, Chokhor Duchen, the “First Teaching” celebration — the first turning of the Wheel of Dharma — is the most important. This year in Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, it is celebrated on July 28, 2025, depending on your lunar calendar. There are also time-zone differences. The important thing is to celebrate the first teaching!
All virtues multiply 100 MILLION TIMES (Yes, according to Dharma texts and Lama Zopa).
Imagine, a peaceful scene, in a pristine glade. Birds are singing. The air is lightly scented. You see deer grazing. Then, you look across the rolling landscape and see a very noble man, sitting cross legged on the ground, his back straight, his bearing regal, yet he wears simple robes. He is closely attended by five monks — who are listening intently with half-closed eyes.
As you stroll by, you feel something. A sense of peace. The man’s face is serene and beautiful. He almost appears to glow. His voice, though not loud, is heard clearly even across the glade.
And, this captivating man, says something that makes you simply stop. And listen.
“What, monks, is the truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, decay, sickness and death are suffering. To be separated from what you like is suffering. To want something and not get it is suffering. In short, the human personality, liable as it is to clinging and attachment brings suffering.”
And you are mesmerized. You stumbled across this man in the glade, at a time in your life when your own suffering is intense. This man, whose voice is so quietly powerful, talks of “the middle way” and the “eightfold path” that relieves all suffering. And, suddenly, you are sitting on the grass, listening to this man they call the Buddha.
This moment, we stumbled upon, is the moment in history when the Buddha “Turned the Wheel of Truth” — more properly known as the Discourse That Sets Turning the Wheel of Dharma.
RESOURCES:
BUDDHAWEEKLY.com (over 1400 in-depth features!): https://buddhaweekly.com/
DHARMA CALENDAR (covering next 3 years!): https://buddhaweekly.com/dharma-calendar/
BUDDHA WEEKLY PRACTICE TEXT PDF DOWNLOADS: https://buddhaweekly.com/downloads/
BUDDHA WEEKLY ART DOWNLOADS FOR PRACTICE: https://buddhaweekly.com/dharma-art-galleries/
BUDDHA WEEKLY GURU RINPOCHE FEATURE SECTION: https://buddhaweekly.com/guru-rinpoche/
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#Chokhor_Duchen #shakyamunibuddha #shakyamuni #shakyamuni_buddha
