Saga month

Saga month, seize the rare opportunity of the special month

On the 1^stday of the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar (May 12, 2021), we officially enter the “Saga Dawa” in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition!

“Saga Dawa” is a Tibetan transliteration, “Saga” is Root (one of the 28 stars), and “Dawa” is the moon. Together, it means Root Month.

2000 years ago, there were three extraordinary events that happened in this month (though not in the same year): the birth , enlightenment and Nirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni!

Since then, the month of Root has become the holiest month in Tibetan Buddhism.

8^th day of the 4^th month: Buddha’s Birthday

More than 2,600 years ago, on the seventh day of the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar, Mrs. Maya, the pregnant Queen of the Shakya tribe, gave birth to a healthy baby boy in Lumbini Park near his hometown of Tianbi City (now near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal). Named Gautama Siddhartha.

15^th day of the 4^th month: Enlightenment

After marrying a wife and having children in the world, Gautama Siddhartha became a monk after 35 years of carefree prince life.

He has been practicing asceticism for six years in the ascetic forest, but he has not attained enlightenment. From this he realized that asceticism is not the way to practice. So he stepped off the ascetic seat. A shepherdess by the river saw the haggard prince and offered him chyle (a highly nutritious dairy product).

After taking the chyle, the prince gradually recovered his strength and came to sit under a bodhi tree and made a vow: “If I can’t enlighten, I won’t leave this seat for the rest of my life.”

Forty-nine days later, at the dawn of the 15^th day of the 4^th month, Siddhartha finally enlightened under the Bodhi tree and achieved supreme enlightenment, that is, the most extraordinary Buddha.

15^th day of the 4^th month: Nirvana

After the Buddha attained enlightenment, a large number of disciples were accepted, the Sangha was established, and many sentient beings were educated.

Forty-five years later, the Buddha, who was showing his twilight, lay on the night of 15^th day of the 4^th month, lying between the trees of Sala, leaving his disciples with his final instructions, and entered Nirvana peacefully and quietly.