In Tibetan Buddhism, the lunar month of Saga Dawa is the most important time of year. This year, Saga Dawa occurs from May 20 to June 18, and peaks on June 4 with the full moon. During this time all Buddhists intensify their spiritual practices in order to take advantage of the auspicious positions of the the Moon, planets, and stars. Tibetans call this Bumgyur Dawa, “the 100,000 multiplying month,” to indicate that during this time the effects of actions are much stronger. Therefore, Buddhists do more prayers, meditation, rituals, especially for self-purification, and do whatever they can to relieve the suffering of others, such as making large donations to their spiritual groups, freeing bound animals (such as those intended for slaughter), performing daily rituals, etc.

The basic emphasis of the month of Saga Dawa is to increase these type of behaviors: 

▸ Generosity (dana): sacrifice for others
▸ Ethics (sila): stop harmful action, adopt beneficial action
▸ Meditation (bhavana): self-discovery

Our advice is to use this time for the most important task of all: reducing your defects.

Learn more: Saga Dawa, Bumgyur Dawa, the 100,000 Multiplying Month