SHALU MONASTERY'S ANNUAL PRAYER SERVICE, EVENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES.

Tibetan New Year Losar

The Tibetan New Year Celebration at the monastery begins with the monks gathering together at the monastic prayer hall. Special prayers are said at the gathering and the breakfast is served at the prayer gathering. There is a tradition of visiting the Lamas or the spiritual masters on the first day of the New Year, and it still continues to this day. 

Monlam Prayer Festival

The New Year celebration is followed by the Monlam Prayer Festival which celebrates the victory of Buddha Shakyamuni over negative forces. The prayers are held and people from Tibetan camps  would visit the monastery. 

Saka Dawa

Saka Dawa (The Full Moon), four or eight deeds of Buddha Shakyamuni were considered to be of special significance and celebrated all over the world. Saka Dawa-the forth month in the Tibetan calendar- is the month in which Buddha Shakyamuni displayed the deeds of birth, enlightenment, and Parinirvana. As Indians, Chinese and Tibetans have their own calendars to follow, they do not have a common month to celebrate these occasions. However, this month of three important deeds is important for Buddhists throughout the world. On this special month, all Buddhists, lay or ordained, observe it with the practice of accumulation and purification.

On this day, from generating the refuge mind and generating the Bodhichitta as motivation to the practice of prostration, circumambulation, liberating animals from being killed, and observing vows, all of which are complemented with dedication, people engage themselves in practice with special emphasis.

Benefit

In the sutra, it says:

“The merit obtained from

Offering to the Buddha in his presence and

And the merit from offering

To the image of the one who transcended beyond,

Are similar if they are done with an unstained mind.”

As it is clear from the Buddha’s own words, to offer to the images or representations of the Buddha has the same merit as offering to the Buddha himself in person. On special occasions like Saka Dawa, the merits generated through prayers and practices are considered to be very strong.

The First Turning of the Dharma Wheel

The 4th day of the 6th Tibetan month is celebrated as 'Choekhor Duechen', the first turning of the great wheel of Dharma by Buddha Shakyamuni after his enlightenment. At the monastery, someone learned would gives teachings.

Monsoon Retreat

The monsoon retreat begins from the 15th day of the 6th Tibetan lunar month until the 30th of 7th Tibetan lunar month. During this period, monks are not allowed to go beyond the marked boundaries of the monastery, need to observe additional rules of the monsoon retreat. The ceremony of lifting of the additional restrictions is the 30th of seventh Tibetan Lunar month. The purpose of this monsoon retreat is to ensure that the monks and nuns live inside their monastic premises and do their study, contemplation and meditation. Monsoon is a time when innumerable insects appear and in order that their lives are not endangered, the Buddha is said to have prescribed this retreat.

Gaden Ngachoe -Anniversary of Je Tsongkhapa 

Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism, an emanation of Manjushri, passed away on the 25th day of the 10th Tibetan month in the year 1419.  As such, the Gaden Ngachoed (Gaden here refers to the Geluk sect while Ngachoe mean the 25th ) is observed with great significance and prayers.

Anniversary of Omniscient Buton Rinchen Drup

Omniscent Buton Rinchen Drup, the founder of Bhulug School of Tibetan Buddhism, He entered clear light on the 21st day of the sixth month of the Wood-dragon Year 1364. He was a great master scholar who authored

28 original treaties in addition to the countless translation works he did for the Kangyur and Tangyur collections. He remains to this day as one of the most important Tibetan historians and Buddhist writers in the history of Buddhism and Tibet.

Benefits

Practicing purification, accumulation and making special aspirational prayers on these special occasions are said to be very strong in purifying our bad karmas, reviving broken commitments and accumulating vast amount of merit.

Lamp Offering

Enlisting the Names of Sponsors of the Lamps

Outside the administrative office, lights are lit every night in front of the frame enshrining images of one thousand Buddha Shakyamuni. Names of the sponsors who contributed more than Rs. 2000 are written and kept there for one year. This is done so that those sponsors could be remembered and held in prayers whenever the monks have a look at the board.

Benefits of the Lamp Offerings

Just as the lamp illuminates itself and has the ability to illuminates others, the offering of lamp produces the karmic result of reducing one’s ignorance and enhancing the light of wisdom. Also, this has the benefit of generating causes for omniscience in future.

Motivation at the time of Lamp Offering

Since all beings are equal in aspiring for happiness and despising suffering, and that the root of sufferings is ignorance, one should visualize that with the illumination of the lamp, the ignorance of all beings are eliminated as one fully develops the union of the compassion and the wisdom of emptiness.