Kangyur Dakdhon - The Reading of Entire Buddha’s Words
The Kangyur is the collection and compilation of the entire teachings, and words of Lord Buddha translated into Tibetan. Generally, it can be considered as the "Tibetan Tripitaka," classified into four main divisions of Vinaya (Tib. འདུལ་བ་, Dulwa), Sutra (Tib. མདོ་སྡེ་, Dode), Abhidharma ( Tib. མངོན་པ་, Ngönpa) and Tantras (Tib. རྒྱུད་, Gyud). It's the entire Buddha's teachings compiled by the Bodhisattvas.
The Significance and Importance of Kangyur Reading
In all Buddhist traditions, reading or chanting the Buddha's Teachings, commonly understood as the Sutras, is very powerful. In Vajrayana, it was written that "In the future, at the time of degeneration, the Buddhas will be manifested in the form of sacred Texts." Thus, the Kangyur is being taken as the representation of Lord Buddha himself.
Reading the entire Kangyur is the most powerful way of accumulating merits. It's one of the highest merit accumulations. Traditionally, in Vajrayana, the Kangyur readings are performed when confronted with enormously huge obstacles or to prevent something terrible from happening. It's not the simple tiny kind of challenges faced by an individual but the greatest obstacles that affect many people.
Monks performing puja at Dechen Choekhor Mahavihara
Kangyur Dakdhon on the Auspicious Choekhor Düchen
We are particularly pleased that this year we will be able to begin this great Kangyur Dakdhon on the hundred-million multiplying sacred auspicious day of Choekhor Duchen*, the anniversary of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni's first turning of the Dharma wheel. Any positive and negative actions committed during this Sixth holy month are said to multiply by a million times.
We sincerely pray and offer all the merits of this "Kangyur Reading" for the long life and good health of our most precious root guru, Jetsun Chokyi Gongpo. We also pray that all great masters, the noble sanghas, and Dharma practitioners possess all the favorable causes and conditions to attain enlightenment with these very bodies and benefit limitless mother-beings. May the world be peaceful and prosperous! May loving-kindness permeate the minds of all sentient beings!
All are welcome to participate in this auspicious and beneficial event.
Should you wish to find out more details about this puja, please write to us: web@dechenchoekhor.org
Thank you!
Note:
* Choekhor Düchen, the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, is observed on the 4th day of the 6-month in the Tibetan Calendar to commemorate the Buddha's first sermon and the teaching of the Four Noble Truths at Sarnath.
** To complete the reading of the entire 103 volumes of Kangyur, if non-stop at 24 hours daily, takes approximately two months. Thus, we are just reading selected volumes for each Kangyur Dakdhon.