Buddha’s First Teaching Day Most Meritorious Practice Day of the Year Chokhor Duchen: 8 Practices
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Why is Buddha's First Teaching Day considered the most important Holy Day of the Year in many Buddhist traditions? What are the eight practices recommended for this day which can create skies of merit and purify negative karma according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche?
Buddha's "First Teaching Day" or Chokhor Duchen, celebrating the first teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha, is the most important Holy Day of the Year for many Buddhists.
First Teaching Day commemorates the day when Buddha gave his first teaching, the turning of the Wheel of Dharma, at Sarnath.
According to Lama Zopa:
"Chokhor Duchen, one of the four annual holy days of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, takes place on the 4th day of the 6th Tibetan lunar month. On these holy days, the power of any meritorious action is multiplied by 100 million, as taught in the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.”
NOTE: From FPMT website: “Chokhor Duchen, one of the four annual holy days of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, takes place this year on July 9 or July 10 depending on the various Tibetan calendars. Both days are fine. On these holy days of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, the power of any meritorious action is multiplied by 100 million, as taught in the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.”
On Buddha's First Teaching Day, we celebrate by doing extra practices and dedication for the benefit of all beings. This can include reciting sutras, making offerings especially the Sangha, and for causes which publish and spread the Dharma, practicing bodhichitta and compassion, and Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels.
No matter what you do on Chokhor Duchen, the most important thing is to remember the spirit of the day: giving and benefiting others. When we focus on others, our own happiness naturally increases. So take some time on Chokhor Duchen to think about how you can benefit others, and make it a special day for everyone.
Another important practice is to recite Sutras in any language on this Holy Day, and recite mantras, which represent the Dharma. Chanting Sutras and Mantras can create tremendous merit and help purify negativities - especially on Buddha Days. Often, we’ll chant the Heart Sutra in Sanskrit, for example, a short and powerful Sutra.
Another powerful practice, with vast merit - as it includes all seven limbs of practice - is the King of Prayers. We have both the Heart Sutra and the King of Prayers linked to this video at the information icons and in the description. Both are short practices with vast skies of merit.
There are eight practices recommended on this day by Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
First, the recitation of certain sutras is believed to be very powerful on this day, such as The Sutra of Golden Light, The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra.
Second, making offerings to the Sangha and to Dharma causes and to the spread of Dharma, through publication of Sutras or Holy Texts and teachings.
Third is Bodhichitta. For the day we try to remain mindful of the cause for Awakening, so that we may in turn benefit all sentient beings. The King of Prayers is the beautiful expression of this aspiration, linked at the information icon above.
Fourth is Charitable giving to those in need. It's also important to remember that giving doesn't have to be material - it can be something as simple as offering a kind word or lending a helping hand.
Fifth is Taking the Precepts and following them for the day. We either just reaffirm the five lay precepts we always follow as lay buddhists, or, just for the day, the full 8 precepts, the precepts followed by ordained monks and nuns.The lay precepts are to abstain from taking a life, abstain from taking that which is not given, abstain from wrong speech such as insults, gossiping and lies, abstain from intoxicants which cloud the mind, and abstain from misuse of our senses.
Sixth is Water Bowl Offerings, Torma offerings, or other sensory offerings to the Buddha, which helps us purify our negative karma and generate merit.
Seventh is the Paramita of Wisdom, which includes the reading of Dharma texts, watching Dharma teachings, or writing or copying sutras.
Eighth is to do prostrations to the Buddha and Take Refuge in the Three Jewels, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, over and over through the day.
These eight positive and wholesome activities honour the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha and create “ merit multiplied by 100 million” as explained by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Always dedicate the merit of any activities, especially on Dharma days, to the Cause for Awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings.
We dedicate the merit of this presentation to the benefit of all sentient beings.
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❤❤❤❤❤om ah hung vajra guru padma sidhi hung ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
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11 күн бұрын
🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💐💐💐❤️! Om muni muni maha muni e svaha! May all sentient beings get enlightened!
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11 күн бұрын
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( Praising Incense ) The incense is now lighted, With its fragrance traveling to infinite worlds. My mind is filled with the utmost sincerity, Wishing for the Buddha's approval of me. Namo Incense-lighting Maha-Bodhisattva Namo Incense-lighting Maha-Bodhisattva Namo Incense-lighting Maha-Bodhisattva (Commentary) Incense-lighting Maha-Bodhisattva has a vow that if practitioners lack the spiritual power to make the incense appear in the ten directions,if they recite his name after lighting incense he will take their place to bring the incense to make offering to the Buddhas in the ten directions. Namo Amitabha🙏🙏🙏♥️
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12 күн бұрын
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Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu 🙏🙏🙏
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11 күн бұрын
🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
happy Chokhor Duchen 📿💕🙏🏼
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11 күн бұрын
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OM MANI PADME HUM 🙏🏽
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11 күн бұрын
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May all beings benefit ✨🙏🤗🙏☮️🙏✨
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10 күн бұрын
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Om mani padme hum, namo ratnatrayaya. Thanks for this!
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10 күн бұрын
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Thank you 🙏😊 Amitabha.
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11 күн бұрын
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Om Mani Padme Hung Hri May the dharma wheel be turned, suffering diminished and liberation of all sentient beings achieved
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11 күн бұрын
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သာဓု သာဓု သာဓု
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7 күн бұрын
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Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu
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11 күн бұрын
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❤thank you
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12 күн бұрын
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Namo buddhaya ☸️⚔️💙
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12 күн бұрын
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Thanks!
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12 күн бұрын
Thank you for your generosity. May your merit multiply. May all beings benefit. “A vast shower of merit will pour down on a giver.” Samyutta Nikaya I.101 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
@chrisi6963
11 күн бұрын
@@BuddhaWeekly Thank you for constantly sharing the knowledge and beautifully created mantra/music/lessons that many could benefit, learn and be enlightened. May you be safe and well. Thank you!
Beautiful. May all beings benefit! May all beings know peace and happiness. Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuni Svaha📿📿📿🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
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12 күн бұрын
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🙏🌈tashi delek from Spain ❤️ Valencia ❤for all being 🙏🌈
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11 күн бұрын
Tashi Delek! 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
Thanks lot sir.very informative❤
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11 күн бұрын
Thank you 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
Thank You for the reminder! :D I thought it was today but according to the Dharma Dates website its tomorrow for me (if you follow the Date and Time in India, the way Lama Zopa did). I have a whole day to prepare for tomorrow then! Thank You!
@BuddhaWeekly
11 күн бұрын
Tashi Delek! 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏 Yes, FPMT website says "either day is fine". The differences are in the lunar calculations on the Tibetan calendar, so some areas practice today, some tomorrow. It's a double merit event, Double Dakini Days (where there's two Dakini days in one month.) 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
@priestboy16
11 күн бұрын
@@BuddhaWeekly Ayyyy! :D
Nomaku sanmanda bazaradan senda makoroshada sowataya un tarata kan man 🙇📿🧘
Good day sir 🙏🙏🙏🙏so much 🌹🌹💐💐🌺 Beautiful 🙏🙏🪷🪷
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11 күн бұрын
Good day! May all beings benefit. 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
@gowrit7094
11 күн бұрын
🙏🙏🙏sir🌹🌹🌷🪷
🙏🙏🙏🍀🇳🇱
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12 күн бұрын
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11 күн бұрын
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Namo amitab budh Please help me How many Holly books of budha Hinyaana and mahayaana Ashok boudh teacher of Western pureland India punjab jaladhar
@BuddhaWeekly
11 күн бұрын
There are many Sutras and Suttas, the Pali Canon Suttas and the Mahayana Sutras. We've started to collect them and distribute them as PDFS on Buddha Weekly.com at buddhaweekly.com/downloads/ where they're free to download (scroll down.) Then there are the commentaries, etc. The 84000.co project is undertaking translation the 84000 texts, currently over 330 translations of canonical Buddhist texts-more than 24,000 pages of wisdom (commentaries, etc.) -freely available at their website 84000.co/. Hope that helps. In kindness, BW
Sorry for disturbing you but could you please tell me the difference between kalachakra and chakrasamvara as they look slightly similar. Thank you for your understanding.
@BuddhaWeekly
6 күн бұрын
Appearances on Highest Yoga Enlightened Deities (both of these) are not about looks but rather visual messages. Color and attributes differ because the meditaitons differ. Neither can be practiced without instruction (because they involve inner body yogas and other things it's best not to undertake without a teacher). (Mantra recitation is a different requirement if you're chanting as a praise and blessing with Bodhichitta, I'm referring to actual practice. Both are Highest Yoga Tantra practices and require empowerments (due to inner body work, clear light meditations, and other aspects requiring instruction.) The main differences here would be Mother Tantra Anutatarayoga for Chakrasamvara vs Non Dual for Kalachakra (depending on lineage instructions). But these aren't practices that we can undertake without instruction. (Kalachakra mantra is generally public, because His Holiness offers Kalachakra lung and empowerment frequently -- which most of us take as a "blessing" since the actual practice is very advanced , in depth and lengthy). Easiest explaination is to quote Dr. Alexander Berzin: "According to Gelug and some Kagyu masters, anuttarayoga tantra has two divisions - father (pha-rgyud) and mother tantra (ma-rgyud). The former emphasizes practices involving the energy-winds for arising in subtle forms known as illusory bodies (sgyu-lus), which are the immediate causes for achieving a Buddha's Corpus of Forms (gzugs-sku, Skt. rupakaya; Form Body). The latter gives more detail about practices to access clear light mental activity ('od-gsal) and focus it with blissful awareness on voidness, as the immediate cause for achieving a Buddha's omniscient awareness or Dharmakaya (chos-sku). Examples of father tantra are Guhyasamaja (gSang-ba 'dus-pa) and Vajrabhairava (rDo-rje 'jigs-byed), also known as Yamantaka (gShin-rje gshed). Examples of mother tantra are Chakrasamvara ('Khor-lo bde-mchog), Hevajra (Kyai rdo-rje), and Vajrayogini (rDo-rje rnal-'byor-ma). According to this classification scheme, Kalachakra (Dus-'khor) is also a mother tantra. Sakya and some other Kagyu masters divide anuttarayoga into three divisions - father, mother, and nondual (gnyis-med rgyud). Depending on the textual tradition, nondual tantra either places equal emphasis on methods for achieving both a Buddha's Corpus of Forms and omniscient mind, or stresses the fourth empowerment, which plants seeds for realizing the two simultaneously. In this scheme, either Kalachakra, Hevajra, or both are nondual tantras. Receiving an empowerment for a mother tantra entails, in addition to taking the bodhisattva and tantric vows, promising to keep certain practices that bond us closely (dam-tshig, Skt. samaya, bonding practice) to mother tantra. Maintaining them helps us to remain on course for achieving blissful awareness of voidness with clear light mental activity."
@apophis5948
5 күн бұрын
@@BuddhaWeeklythank you
Can shakyamuni be my guru yidam?
@BuddhaWeekly
12 күн бұрын
Certainly, it's a profound Guru Deity practice. Yidam means heart deity and also meditational deity -- so if your heart is with Shakyamuni Buddha, he is your heart deity. All Buddha's are in essence one (we choose aspects as Yidams to focus on our particular needs.) All Buddhas emanate as Dharmakaya (ultimate essence) Sambhogakaya (in the Purelands) and Nirmanakaya (Buddha's in our world.) Primarily we think of Shakyamuni as Nirmanakaya because he was historical born in our time. He is certainly a Guru Buddha practice, absolutely, one of the most profound and important. Garchen Institute for example, has a lovely, lovely practice on their site (available for download) and videos on the Garchen Institute website with teachings on Shakyamuni Guru practices. The Sadhana in their library is called A Stream of Blessings: A practice of the Teacher, the Buddha Śākyamuni . You can find it on their online library: garchen.net/lib-table-of-contents/ As A Guru practice, you visualize the Buddha in front of you, it's not a self-generation practice. Normally empowerments, etc are required for any practice where you self generate. His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche does have Empowerment online for Shakyamuni with teachings, which I'd highly recommend if you are practicing this: kzread.info/dash/bejne/mnV-q5eAeqexpNI.html&pp=ygUnZ2FyY2hlbiByaW5wb2NoZSBzaGFreWFtdW5pIGVtcG93ZXJtZW50 Most traditions have Shakyamuni Pujas and Sadhanas. As a Guru deity, normally you visualize frontally (in front of you) when practicing. Hope that helps. Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuni Svaha.