Dear Dharma friends,

We are now entering the fourth great occasion in Buddha’s life. Buddha’s mother Maha Maya had been reborn in the heaven of Thirty-Three. To repay her kindness and to benefit the gods, Buddha spent three months teaching the Dharma.

The day Buddha returned to the world was celebrated as Lha Bab Düchen which falls on the 22nd of the 9th lunar month. Because of its huge potency, it is said that every action good or bad is multiplied 1 million times.

This act of Buddha’s great compassion for his mother reminds us to think of our own parents who have raised us with so much kindness and protected us with love. His Holiness always teaches us to use the love of our own mothers’ kindness to generate love & compassion for all sentient beings for they too have been our mothers in our past lives and while they were our mothers they have loved and cherished us in the same manner.

So, on this day do not lose the opportunity to practice virtue such as generosity, patience & forgiveness etc. for the sake of not only our parents of this life but for all mothers we have had from the beginning-less time. Just as our practice is the best offering we can make to our Lamas, like His Holiness, it is also the best way that we can repay the kindness of all our mother sentient beings.

This year the Lha Bab Düchen falls on Friday, Nov 22, 2024. Our temple is holding a Tsog offering on that day at 6:30pm. As usual there is no charge to attend any of our events and it is open to anyone wishing to join us. At every Tsog Offering, it is good to bring some food offering to the Buddhas. They can be a few fruits or cookies.

Note that on this same week, the usual Wednesday session (Nov 20) will be cancelled.