About Event:

Saka Dawa commemorates Shakyamuni Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana when karmic results are multiplied by 300 million times as it commemorates Shakyamuni Buddha’s three major life events.

As Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained, “Because Saka Dawa combines these three special days, the possibility to create merit is unbelievable. Due to this, it is very important for one to use this opportunity to do everything the best!

“It is so important also to understand that if one collects non-virtue on merit multiplying days, then that will also increase by that many number of times. One has to be careful to not increase non-virtuous actions during the merit multiplying days.”

- Lama Zopa Rinpoche

How to best celebrate Saka Dawa? – fulfilling the lama’s advice!

Schedule for Saka Dawa

• 8:00am                        Setting up Water Bowl offerings in front of the Buddha Shakyamuni in the Nalanda Master’s Garden

• 9:30am                        Prayers in the Nalanda Masters Garden

• 10:00am - 4:00pm     Working Bee – see more info below

• 12:00pm                        Lunch (Please book your lunch in advance)

• 6:00pm                        Medicine Buddha Puja (in the Tara Room)

Please refer to  Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice for merit multiplying days, in particular:

• Taking the eight Mahayana precepts: students can receive the lineage of these precepts from a specially produced video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche granting them, recorded in 2020 at Kopan Monastery. 

• Reciting the Sutra Remembering the Three Jewels.
  

Working Bee – Saka Dawa
Sunday, 31th May 2026 | 10:00am–4:00pm
Garden of Enlightenment, Chenrezig Institute

Join us on Saka Dawa, one of the most powerful days for creating vast merit, for a Working Bee. Help restore the stupas, clean holy objects in the Garden of Enlightenment — a meaningful offering of your time on this sacred day. No experience needed.

Please bring a hat, sunglasses, sun cream, water, and lunch. Cake and chai provided.

Come for an hour or the whole day — all help is appreciated!
RSVP: artstudio@chenrezig.com.au

If you wish to make an offering for the puja during this holy day of Saka Dawa, it is a deeply auspicious opportunity.

Saka Dawa marks the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, and it is one of the most powerful days of the Tibetan Buddhist calendar. According to tradition, any virtuous actions performed on this day are multiplied millions of times.