Saka Dawa
(Tibetan Vesak Day)
Remembering the Buddha’s
Birth, Awakening, and Passing Away
Sunday, June 4, 2023
(Vesak Day is June 2 in Singapore)
All merit accumulated on this special day is multiplied 100 million times.
Add your Vesak Day offerings to help Raise the Roof on the Buddha Hall

Vesak Day—called Saka Dawa Duchen in the Tibetan tradition—is the most special time in the Buddhist calendar.
It’s the anniversary of the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and passing away.
Saka Dawa is a special time to renew your resolve to develop ethical conduct, love, compassion, and wisdom and diminish the afflicted minds that bring so much misery.
It’s a good day to do special practices that deepen your connection with the Buddha. See our suggestions below.
On Saka Dawa, let’s dedicate all goodness generated to relieve suffering and the causes of suffering. Dedicate merit to sustain the Buddha’s teachings, for your own awakening, and for the welfare of all beings.
When you dedicate, we invite you to dedicate merit to support completion of the Abbey’s Buddha Hall.
How to Celebrate
Teachings
- Watch Ven. Chodron explain Why We Celebrate Vesak
- Watch Ven. Chodron’s beautiful telling of the Buddha’s life story and how it relates to your own life.
- Listen to Ven. Sangye Khadro explain what Vesak is.
- Read, watch, or listen to Ven. Chodron’s explanation of the Four Seals, the four characteristics that mark Buddhist teachings.
- Read or recite and reflect on Buddhist sutras, like the Heart Sutra. (Watch or read Ven. Chodron’s commentary here.)
Practices
- Do the Shakyamuni Buddha meditation practice. When you do the mantra recitation and visualization, please count your recitations and report the number, dedicating the merit to help overcome any obstacles to completing the Abbey’s new Buddha Hall. Learn how.
- Take and keep the Eight Mahayana Precepts for 24 hours.
- Make special offerings to the Three Jewels on your altar and do the extensive offering practice.
- Make offerings to your teachers and Dharma centers to support continuation of Buddha’s teachings.
- Make offerings to help people affected by war, famine, poverty, and other great sufferings.
- Go here to include the Abbey in your Vesak Day offerings, or here to help Raise the Roof on the Buddha Hall.
- Learn about the Buddha Hall here.
