Saga Dawa Festival 2022: Date, Significance, Celebrations And Tibetan Philosophy Of Karma

Saga Dawa festival for Buddhists is one of those momentous occasions that Buddhists have ever, earmarked for buddha. It is that day of the year wherein the Buddhists celebrate the three important stages that ushered in spiritual illumination in buddhas life. "Saga" is the name of a constellation that is visible during the fourth lunar month and Dawa means "month". It is probably the longest festival that the Buddhist tradition celebrates in May through June. Read through the article to know more about the festival, of Saga Dawa.

Saga Dawa 2022: Date

This year, Saga Dawa festival falls on on 14 June 2022. The Poornima or the 15th day of the month is officially termed Saga Dawa Duchen. Duchen is a word that describes the saga dawa in one word. It reads as "Great occasion. "

Saga Dawa Festival 2022: History And Significance

The day of the saga Dawa celebrates the three main events of Buddha's life that coincides with the festival of Saga Dawa.

a. Lord Buddha's Birth

According to the scriptures, the date of Lord Buddha's birth is different from the conventional viewpoint. The day he was conceived was the day he was born. Buddha's entry into the womb of Mahamaya, the royal Shakya queen, occurred on a full moon day of the Vesak month. It was then that the Buddha Shakya Muni incarnated on this world to ensure the spiritual well-being of humanity.

b. Lord Buddha's Awakening

Buddha was just 35 years old when he went through the final transformation from that of King Siddhartha to Buddha Muni. Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya stands dauntless and poised today as a silent spectator to the great awakening, ages back, that immortalized Buddha. It is believed that Buddha is supposed to have touched the ground upon which he was meditating, at the moment of great realization and the earth beneath him seemed to tremor. To drive this point home, Shakyamuni Buddha's sculptures and paintings show him in dhyana mudra with his hands touching the ground underneath.

c. Lord Buddha's Parinirvana

It was in Kushinagar, that Lord Buddha, finally attained Mahasamadhi (Pari Nirvana, final liberation) by casting away his mortal coil and merging into the divine consciousness, when he was 80.

Saga Dawa Festival 2022: The Tibetan Philosophy Of Karma

Tibetan philosophy bears a close resemblance to the Hindu scriptural tenets. The primary belief that we were all brought up with, resonates very well with the Tibetan ideology of soul transmigration, the Punya (merits), and sins (papa). No doubt, we are products of our circumstances, but the circumstances are products of our karmic deeds in the past. Your karmas come back to you, be it good or bad. Your good karmas will also ensure a very prosperous life after you die. Tibetans focus on doing good and being good this entire month as the merits accrued from this are bound to multiply manifold in the afterlife. Merits or Punya can be achieved through certain prescribed deeds. Visiting sacred sites such as Lhasa, Mount Kailash, Jokhang Temple, and Potala palace contribute greatly to the kitty of good karmas.

Saga Dawa Festival 2022: Celebrations

Monasteries, temples, and stupas, not excluding holy mountains, lakes, caves, and several other sacred spots are usually overcrowded during this time. Also, the customs of offering butter lamps, burning incense sticks, and chanting the Japa, are most popular. Pilgrims also take a holy walk around the Ling Khor path of the holy mountain.

Dana (charity) is a very important event that cleanses the devotee of his selfish intentions that come inbuilt with human emotions. The attitude of giving is a very important trait to possess, and Tibetans strive their entire lifetime, to master this.

Tibetans make a conscious effort not only to avoid consuming non-vegetarian food but also to try to rescue animals from slaughterhouses and adopt them. On the dawn of the fifteenth day or Poornima, every Buddhist, takes only one meal, before noon, for the day, and follows the eight Mahayana tenets throughout the day.

Each monastery in the area reverberates with the thrilling sounds of mantras, and the chants going on endlessly in the background, in silence, uninterrupted. Cham dance is the most engaging and spectacular event that has a special place in the Buddhist cultural hemisphere. The dancers wear the attires of the deities with painted face masks. The last part of the festivities is the Darpuchi ceremony wherein people gather to replace the old flagpole with a colourful new one, near the mount Kailash. At this time, monks read scriptures aloud and play religious lutes and other instruments. Throwing barley flour on the ground is supposed to bring good luck.

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Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons