Chökhor Düchen, July 18, 2026
The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma

Chökhor Düchen  is one of the four great occasions (Losar, Saga Dawa, Choekhor Duchen and Lhabab Duchen) celebrated by all Tibetan Buddhists. During those times, it is believed that the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied ten million times.  It falls in the Tibetan Lunar calendar in the 6th month, 4th day.  Tradition has it that Buddha was not convinced that teaching what he had discovered through his meditations could be communicated in a way that would be of any benefit to others. It took the intercession of the sky goddesses called Dakinis, and the great Hindu gods, Brahma and Indra, to persuade him to do so for the benefit of all sentient beings. After seven weeks, the Buddha finally addressed the five people who had been his companions during the time spent with the forest yogins, and at Sarnath in India, he taught this first teaching–the Four Noble Truths.  This is the foundational teaching of all of Buddhism.

Celebrate this week by reading and studying the Four Noble Truths!