Saga Dawa Festival (Kangyur Reading and 1 lakh Tara Reciting) ས་ག་ཟླ་བ། རྒྱལ་བའི་བཀའ་འགྱུར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་བསྟན་འགྱུར་དག་སྒྲོགས། 大藏经法会 May 28 - June 11, 2025

The Saga Dawa Festival is one of the most sacred observances in Tibetan Buddhism, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana (passing away) of Buddha Shakyamuni. Celebrated during the fourth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, this period is known as the "month of merits," where positive actions are believed to be multiplied manifold.  At Sed Gyued Monastery, the festival is marked by two significant spiritual practices: Kangyur Reading: Monks engage in the recitation of the Kangyur, a collection of 108 volumes containing the spoken words of the Buddha. This extensive reading spans several days, with each monk reading different sections to collectively complete the entire canon.  Recitation of Tara Mantras: Devotees participate in the recitation of 100,000 Tara mantras, invoking the blessings of Tara, the female bodhisattva of compassion and action. This practice is aimed at accumulating merit and seeking spiritual protection. These rituals during the Saga Dawa Festival serve as profound expressions of devotion, reinforcing the monastic community's commitment to the Buddha's teachings and the pursuit of enlightenment. Buddhists, especially Tibetan Buddhists, will celebrate the most auspicious and significant time of a year, the Sagadawa Festival. This is a celebration in honor of the Sakyamuni Buddha, whose birth, enlightenment, and nirvana all took place in the same month.Tibetan Buddhists believe that the good deeds and prayers are multiplied a thousand-folds during this period. People are much more merciful than usual. There is an abstinence of killing animals and those captured ones are released into their natural habitats along with deep prayers. This ceremony liberates them from captivity and shows the ultimate act of mercy.Along with the celebration of this wonderful festival, The Kagyur is performed.Kagyur is referred to the Translations of Buddha’s Own Teachings. They are the translated volumes of all three baskets and four classes of Tantra taught by the Buddha himself compiled into 104 or 108 volumes.Benefits:It will help one to prevent diseases and to bring well being and happiness in this life.It will help to increase cattle, resources, lifespan, merits, wealth, fame, power andluck. It will help to pacify frostiness, hailstorms and other natural calamities,diseases, animal bites, warfare, quarrels, and other misfortunes. It is alsobeneficial to liberate one from the sufferings of hell realms in the next life, andultimately to achieve the supreme state of perfect enlightenment.