Chokhor Duchen, one of the four annual holy days of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, takes place this year on July 24th. On these holy days, the power of any meritorious action is multiplied by 100 million, as cited by Lama Zopa Rinpoche from the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.

Known in English as “Turning the Wheel of Dharma,” Chokhor Duchen commemorates the anniversary of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s first teaching. It is said that for seven weeks after his enlightenment, the Buddha did not teach. Afterward, Indra and Brahma offered a Dharmachakra and a conch shell and requested Guru Shakyamuni Buddha to teach. Accepting, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma for the first time at Sarnath by teaching the four noble truths.

Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche for practices to do on merit multiplying days such as Chokhor Duchen can be found here.

Chokhor Duchen is also the day on which the FPMT organization celebrates International Sangha Day! As Claire recently reminded, International Sangha Day provides an opportunity for the lay and monastic communities to come together in recognition of their interdependence and acknowledge the ways in which they rely on each other for the practice of Dharma.

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