Drup Tshe Zhi

‘Drup Tshe Zhi’, or the fourth day of the sixth month of the Bhutanese calendar, is one of the most sacred days of the Buddhist calendar. After attaining enlightenment at the age of 35 years, some 2600 years ago, Lord Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath – present day Varanasi in India.

This auspicious day honors  the day of the first teachings of the Buddha when he talked about the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths and the Middle Path to the five monks who became his disciples.

Picture source: Internet

 The Four Noble Truths forms the foundation of Buddhism. They are:

1. Life is full of suffering. Suffering of birth, old age, sickness and death is unavoidable. The suffering must be borne alone. It is a part of life and cannot be avoided.

2. The truth about the causes of suffering (the root cause). The cause of suffering are craving, desire and ignorance. It is important to understand the cause because without that it is not possible to do away with suffering.

3. The truth about ending suffering (the cure). The key to end all suffering is to remove all desire, ill will and ignorance. Only then can a person gain Enlightenment.

4. The truth about the path to liberation. One must follow the Middle Path and the Noble Eightfold Path – namely (1) Right Understanding; (2) Right Attitude; (3) Right Speech; (4) Right Action; (5) Right Livelihood; (6) Right Effort; (7) Right Mindfulness; and (8) Right Concentration. Following this path will ultimately lead to an end in suffering.

Picture source: Internet

It is believed that the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied multifold times on this day.

So hope that good deeds have been done, good thoughts thought, good words spoken and good efforts made. Happy Drup Tshe Zhi everyone.