Gatsal - The Official Tenzin Palmo Website

Lhabab Duchen
by Sherab Lhamo
On the 19 th of November 2008 was
a very important day for all of us.
The day is celebrated as a ‘Lhabab
Duchen’. It is said that on this day lord
Buddha returned from heaven after having
spent three months there. He had gone
there to preach Dharma to his mother. We
celebrated the incident of his arrival with
lots of enthusiasm. We do a long puja in
the evening.
On this day in the morning, we
cleaned our nunnery thoroughly. All the
nuns were busy doing many things. Our
senior nuns decorated the Puja room. The
Puja room looked very beautiful. At 12
O’ clock we had our lunch. Immediately
after the lunch preparations for the big
puja were started. At 6 O’clock, we lighted
many candles, butter lamps and electric
lights. The all-important Puja started at 7
O’clock. In the Puja, our Khenpo la, our
Genlas from Tashi Jong , Ani Genla and
all the office staff also joined us. We did
puja for three hours. When we finished the
Puja, The cook served us sweet tea, sweet
rice, cake and sweets. Then three nuns
delivered speeches on Dharma. They spoke
very well. After that nuns participated in
a debate about Buddhist philosophy. The
puja came to an end at 10 o’clock. All the
nuns enjoyed themselves very much on
that day. We all prayed together for the well
being of all the sentient beings. This puja
filled me with a great feeling of equanimity
and elation and revived in me the zeal for
spiritual enlightenment.
I wish we would all gather again next
year and many many years after that to
celebrate ‘Lhabab Duchen’ with the same
spirit of enthusiasm and gaiety. I shall
never forget this memorable event in my
life.
4 GATSAL ISSUE 22