From the 9th May 2013 until the 8th June 2013 it is the period of the holiest month according to Tibetan Lunar Calendar - Saka Dawa. It is known, that on the full moon day during this exact month, 2500 years ago, Buddha Shakyamuni ha born in Lumbini (Nepal), later reached the stage of Enlightment in Bodhgaya(India) and departed to Nirvana with his death in Kushinagar (India), leaving behind him the liberating Dharma teachings. For all of the Tibetan Buddhism practitioners, or Mahayana and Vajrayana to be exact, aiming for the achievements of Buddha, this is the most important time of the year: when the performance of any Dharma practices earns one the positive karmic merits in thousand times bigger volume, and the mind gets purified faster than in any other times of the year! Buddhists of the Himalayan region (North India, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan) are striving currently to perform a much as possible piligirmage trips and koras (i.e.circumbalation around the holy objects), to organize various Buddhist ceremonies and pujas with the participation of lamas, to perform prostrations and offerings to Buddhas, to meditate, to recite mantras and prayers (especially related to Buddha of Compassion - Avalokiteshvara), to perform all kind of meritorious, liberating activities etc. The objects of deep Buddhist faith - Swayambunath and Boudhanath Stupas in Nepal, mountain Kailash and Jokhang Temple in Tibet in particular will get their culminated attention of the devotees' masses. The most important day of the whole month falls on the full moon day - 25th May. Amongst various spiritual practices it is advised in particular to abstain during the whole of Saka Dawa from consumption of meat, fish and eggs, and of course alcohol. It is the best time of the year to make a visit to the holy Buddhist places of Tibet, Nepal and India. If you do not consider yourself Buddhist as such, even then, the efforts to perform the beneficial acts towards humans and animals, abstainence from the negative emotions and actions at least during the Saka Dawa will surely earn you a lot of all-sided benefit!
