Ganden Ngachu (Lama Tsongkhapa Day)
Prayers, teachings, discussions, and meals will be shared among the participants in celebration of Monlam which marks a period when Lord Buddha performed many miracles, beginning with Losar (the Tibetan New Year) on the first day and culminating on the fifteenth day, Chotrul Duchen (the Day of Miracles). Monlam Chenmo, or the Great Prayer Festival, was established by Lama Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, in 1409. The first two weeks of the new year, Monlam, commemorate the time when the Buddha displayed his power by performing a number of miracles. Lama Tsongkhapa chose the Monlam Chenmo to coincide with the anniversary of incredible events in Shakyamuni Buddha’s life traditionally celebrated during the first two weeks of the lunar new year.
This Monlam celebration is particularly meaningful as it is bringing together all of the Buddhist traditions in a harmonious gathering. This day falls on December 23 2016 and in 2017 December 10th.