“Lord Buddha never put much emphasis on belief. Instead, he exhorted us to investigate and try to understand the reality of our own being. He never stressed that we had to know what he was, what a buddha is. All he wanted was for us to understand our own nature. Isn’t that so simple? We don’t have to believe in anything. Simply by making the right effort, we understand things through our own experience, and gradually develop all realizations.”

― Thubten Yeshe, Becoming Your Own Therapist

Join us in celebrating Lhabab Duchen, the day when the Buddha descended from the God Realm of Thirty-Three after sharing the Dharma with the gods and his mother. This holiday is a Buddha Multiplying Day when karmic actions are one hundred million times stronger.

Today, just like any other day, is a perfect opportunity to engage more earnestly in one’s practice. Following the advice of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche for Merit Multiplying Days, we are offering an array of meritorious practices, including a meditation that will help us examine the limitations of samsaric bliss and come closer to the everlasting bliss of liberation and enlightenment by developing wisdom and compassion.

We are so honored and delighted that Tengyur Rinpoche will be leading the prayers and practice for Lhabab Duchen. Tengyur Rinpoche will also be teaching in-person and online at Shantideva Center on Saturday, November 23. For the morning teaching Tengyur Rinpoche will explore enlightenment as an achievable goal, accessible through the Eightfold Path. The afternoon teaching will be on the human potential and the mind in Buddhist psychology. For more information, please click here.