Karuna Buddhist Center will celebrate Saga Dawa Duchen (also known as Vesak) on Friday May 24th this year. It is one of the holiest days of the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. This entire lunar month, known as Saga Dawa, is considered an auspicious time to practice the dharma and abstain from negativities, and the “Duchen” or “Great Occasion” occurs on the Full Moon day of the month.

This year, Karuna will start its Saga Dawa/Vesak traditions at 11am by holding a worship service dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of this fortunate age who is also known as Siddhartha. A special statue of baby Siddhartha will be placed before the altar, and we invite participants to “bathe” the Buddha as part of the ceremony.

After the service, all are invited to lunch at a local restaurant, the newly reopened Madras Masala.

Then from 3-5pm we will have a prayer service dedicated to the forefathers of our lineage, the Kagyu mahasiddhas (“great yogis”), which will evoke the blessings of our thousand-year-old lineage and its founders: Marpa the Translator, Milarepa the Yogin, and Gampopa the Kadampa Monk. This will include a tsok (food blessing) in which we will all share some sacred finger foods.