2014 Buddhist Holidays Vajrayana, Mahayana & Hinayana Buddhism: Tibetan, Pure Land, Zen & Theravada dates

 1/1: World Peace Day--Day to meditate for peace throughout the world. Universal Hour of Peace: 7:00-8:00 a.m. EST.]

• 1/1: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught of Four Noble Truths - suffering is part of life; suffering is caused by desire for (and attachment to) sense-pleasures, wealth, power, dogma, and changelessness; freedom from suffering (nirvana) is possible; and the Eightfold Path is the means to freedom from suffering.
  

See Shakyamuni Mantra) a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]

• 1/4: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful of the peace, joy, and beauty of the moment.
  

• 1/4: Day ethnic discrimination was outlawed world-wide (1969); day to mourn all manifestations of racism. [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination: signed/adopted 3/7/1966; entered into force 1/4/1969.]
  

• 1/8: Day for meditation on Tantric Buddha Deities Amitayus and White Tara, who grant good health and long life. In Tantric Buddhism, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are symbolic abstractions and aspects of Adi-Buddha - the masculine and feminine, transcendent and immanent, omniscient and omnipotent, primordial and eternal Absolute. [See Amitayus Mantra, Medicine Buddha Mantra, and White Tara Mantra) [a/k/a Amitayus Buddha Day, Medicine Buddha Day, Tara Puja) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 1/10: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 1/10: Day North Korea (D.P.R.K.) withdrew from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (2003).
  

• 1/12: Day genocide was outlawed world-wide (1951); day to mourn all victims of genocide. [Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide: signed/adopted 12/9/1948; entered into force 1/12/1951.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should condemn all past genocides and, to prevent future genocides, should demand an end to persecution on account of any nationality, ethnicity, "race" or religion.]
  

• 1/15: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana.
  

See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day

• 1/19: World Religions Day--Day to contemplate all religions as different paths to the one universal Deity of many names and aspects.
  

• 1/26: Dakinis Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra;
  

day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day

• 1/30: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught an Eightfold Path to enlightenment - right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day
  

• 1/31 to 2/3: Hsih Nien/Suhl/Tet--Chinese and East Asian Lunar New Year (Year 4712: the Horse).
  

• 2/1: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that you, and all that is, are in the process of transformation.
  

• 2/7: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra. [See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 2/9: Dakas Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) 10th Tibetan day
  

• 2/14: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana.
  

See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day

• 2/15: Nehan--Zen Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's paranirvana (483 BCE). Forms of Buddhism include Hinayana (Theravada), Mahayana (Zen/Japanese and Pure Land/Chinese), and Vajrayana (Tantra/Tibetan).
  

• 2/19: Day President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the internment of loyal Japanese Americans during World War II (1942); day to mourn Asian victims of internment and exclusion (past and present), make peace, and celebrate empowerment of Asian Americans. [The internment was authorized by Executive Order 9066.] [While Emperor Hirohito's Japanese government attacked the U.S., Japanese Americans did not authorize or approve of the attack. While it was appropriate to blame the Japanese government for the war against the U.S., it was immoral to blame all ethnic Japanese for the acts of the Japanese government.]
  

• 2/24: Dakinis Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 3/1: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that right understanding and right thought are the means to wisdom. Wisdom is the realization of impermanence and interdependence.
  

See Shakyamuni Mantra a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]

• 3/1: Sojong Day--Tibetan Buddhist day of fasting, confession, and reparation for harm done. Observed primarily by monks and nuns.
  

a/k/a Sojong Chemno

• 3/1: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that you are connected to each and every sentient being that has ever existed.
  

• 3/1: Day the production and use of landmines was outlawed world-wide (1999); day to mourn their victims. [Protocol on Prohibition or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps, and Other Devices a/k/a Convention on Landmines a/k/a Mine Ban Treaty, amending the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects: Treaty signed/adopted 10/10/1980; entered into force 12/2/1983; Protocol signed 12/3/1997; entered into force 3/1/1999.] (Burma is still manufacturing and laying landmines. China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore may still be manufacturing landmines. China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, and the U.S. have not ratified the Protocol.] [Landmines maim and kill civilians, including children. Those that survive endure a lifetime of hardship.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should renounce the production and use of landmines, and should demand removal and destruction of all existing landmines.]
  

• 3/2 to 3/16: Losar/Tibetan Buddhist New Year (Year 2141: the Wood Horse) & Monlam Chenmo/Great Prayer Festival--Commemorates miracles performed by the Buddha. Rituals, dances, and sculptures are offered to drive out evil spirits and to protect and benefit all sentient beings.
  

Ends on Chotrul Duchen.

• 3/8: International Women's Day--Day to mourn victims of gender-based oppression and misogyny (past and present), make peace, and celebrate women's empowerment.
  

• 3/9: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra.
  

See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]

• 3/11: Dakas Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father TantraPuja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 3/16: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana.
  

See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day

• 3/19: Chinese Buddhist festival of Bodhisattva Kuan Yin/Kannon/Tara; celebrates Her "birth." She declared women the spiritual equals of men. 2nd Chinese month, 19th day
  

• 3/21: Haru-no-Higan--Day Japanese Buddhists mark the time of change by meditating on the impermanence of death. [a/k/a Ohigan
  

• 3/21: World Forest Day--Day to celebrate the complex living community of trees, plants, birds, and mammals that live in forests world-wide; day to give thanks for forests for cleaning the air of pollution. [[[Wikipedia:Forest|Forest]] once covered 50% of the world. Today, forest covers only 30% of the world. Since 1600, 90% of the original forests that once covered the lower 48 states of the U.S. has been cleared away. Most deforestation of North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia occurred before 2000 and has stabilized. Deforestation continues to accelerate in South America and Africa. The rate of world deforestation averaged 5.2 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2010.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should demand an end to deforestation, and should demand universal observance of sustainable management practices of the world's forests.] [a/k/a World Forestry Day]
  

• 3/26: Dakinis Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok 25th Tibetan day
  

• 3/26: Day production and use of biological weapons was outlawed world-wide (1975); day to mourn their victims. Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction a/k/a Biological Weapons Convention: signed 4/10/1972; entered into force 3/26/1975.] (China and North Korea are believed to currently have biological weapons programs in spite of the Treaty's prohibition. Both have ratified the Treaty.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of biological weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.]
  

• 3/30: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that right understanding is understanding things the way they are without ignorance or delusion. And right thought is the intention and commitment to develop selfless detachment, loving-kindness, harmlessness, and compassion.
  

See Shakyamuni Mantra a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day

• 3/31: Vigil to mourn China's annexation of Tibet (1959) and the killings, torture, and religious persecution of Tibetan Buddhists. Day the Dalai Lama fled into exile following the Chinese invasion of Tibet.
  

• 4/5: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that the joys and suffering of others are your joys and suffering.
  

• 4/7: Day for meditation on Tantric Bodhisattva Deities Avalokitesvara and Green Tara, consciousness and empowerment of Compassion. Buddhists recognize the equality of all sentient beings.
  

See Avalokitesvara Mantra and Green Tara Mantra a/k/a Tara Puja [8th Tibetan day

• 4/7: World Health Day--Day to pray for healing of all those chronically and seriously ill; day to advocate for adequate health care for all. [Day the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) was founded in 1948.]
  

• 4/8: Zen Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's birth (563 BCE). Buddhists study sacred texts, meditate, pray, chant mantras, and make devotional offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
  

• 4/9: Dakas Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 4/15: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana.
  

See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day

• 4/17: Day Cambodia fell to the Khmer Rouge, who caused the deaths of more than a million civilians (1975); vigil for true peace, justice, and respect for the human rights of all in East Asia.
  

• 4/22: Earth Day--Day to honor the Earth and to meditate on Deity manifesting as Mother Earth. [a/k/a International Earth Day, National Earth Day]
  

• 4/22: Day the world's nations guaranteed asylum to those persecuted in their homelands on account of their ethnicity, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group (1954). Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees: signed 7/28/1951; entered into force 4/22/1954.]
  

• 4/24: Dakinis Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 4/29: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that right speech, right action, and right livelihood are the means to ethical conduct, which is the means to develop loving-kindness and compassion for all living beings. He embraced moderation, rejecting asceticism as well as hedonism.
  

See Shakyamuni Mantra [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day

• 4/29: Day production and use of chemical weapons was outlawed world-wide (1997); day to mourn their victims. [Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons a/k/a Chemical Weapons Convention: signed 1/13/1993; entered into force 4/29/1997.] (China and North Korea are believed to currently possess chemical weapons in spite of the Treaty's prohibition. China has ratified the Treaty; North Korea has not. The U.S. is currently in the process of destroying its chemical weapons in compliance with the Treaty.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of chemical weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.] [a/k/a Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare]
  

• 5/1: National Day of Prayer--Day to pray for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and separation of religion and government throughout the world.
  

• 5/3: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that everything you do, or fail to do, affects all sentient beings.
  

• 5/6:Chinese Buddhist festival celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana of Fo Shihchiamouni (Buddha Shakyamuni/Siddhartha Gautama) (563-483 BCE). [a/k/a Buddha Day] [4th Chinese month, 8th day]
  

• 5/7: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra.
  

See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]

• 5/9: Dakas Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 5/9: Day the world's nations committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which are causing climate change (1992); day to mourn the failure to reduce these emissions. [Due to these emissions, the planet has already started to experience the impacts of climate change: increased extremes of summer dryness (heat waves, droughts, and wildfires) and winter wetness (flooding); an increase in extreme weather (hurricanes and tornados); an increase of sea level (loss of coastline and loss of fresh water); a decrease in glaciers and polar ice caps; an increase in volcanic eruptions and earthquakes; loss of human habitat; loss of food availability (increase in food costs); and loss of plant and animal species (on land, in the oceans, and on the ice caps).] [Framework Convention on Climate Change: adopted 5/9/1992; signed 6/4/1992; entered into force 3/21/1994.] [The Kyoto Protocol, which includes mandatory reduction goals, was adopted by 180 nations 12/11/1997, signed 3/16/1998, and entered into force 2/16/2005.] [The U.S. has refused to ratify the Protocol. Total U.S. emissions have increased by 11% from 1990 to 2010. They have been increasing at an average annual rate of .5%. The U.S. is the biggest polluter on the planet. 25% of the planet's carbon dioxide emissions is emitted by the U.S.) [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should demand universal observance of practices that effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.]
  

• 5/14: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana.
  

See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day

• 5/17: Day Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war ended (2009); vigil for true peace, religious tolerance, and equal rights for all in Sri Lanka. [The civil war arose out of the legal preference given to the Sinhala people, the Sinhalese language, and the Buddhist religion over the Tamil people, the Tamil language, and the Hindu religion. The Sri Lankan civil war lasted from 7/23/1983 to 5/17/2009, when the Sinhalese-dominated government defeated the LTTE/Tamil Tigers, which had sought a separate Tamil state.]
  

• 5/22: Biological Diversity Day--Day to recognize that the survival of humanity is dependent on the survival of the many diverse species on the Earth: The extinction of other species will bring about our own extinction. [There has been a 40% loss of species between 1970 and 2000 due to habitat destruction, over-harvesting, and pollution. Our unsustainable consumption exceeds the biological capacity of the Earth by about 20%.] [And see the Convention on Biological Diversity: signed 6/5/1992; entered into force 12/29/1993.] [The Convention on Biological Diversity was contracted to ensure conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of biodiversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should demand universal observance of practices that effectively preserve all species of life, and should demand an end to habitat destruction, over-harvesting, and pollution of all kinds.] [a/k/a International Day for Biological Diversity, World Biological Diversity Day, Biodiversity Day]
  

• 5/24: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 5/28: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught the Five Precepts of Morality - refrain from harming living beings, refrain from taking that which is not given, refrain from sexual misconduct, refrain from false and harmful speech, and refrain from intoxicants that cause heedlessness. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 6/4: Day to mourn the massacre of the peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China (1989); vigil for democracy and respect for the human rights of all in China.
  

• 6/6: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra. [See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 6/7: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for mindfully seeing the interdependence of all things at all times.
  

• 6/8: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 6/8: World Oceans Day--Day to recognize the world's dependence on the oceans for food and medicine; day to advocate for the sustainable management of all ocean resources and for an end to the pollution of the oceans with toxins and trash. [[[Wikipedia:Fish|Fish]] stocks have collapsed in almost one-third of all ocean fisheries. The rate of decline is accelerating and total loss of fisheries could occur by mid-century. Fishery decline is caused by overfishing the stock, the loss of marine biodiversity associated with the stock, pollution, and climate change. Establishing core protected areas for each surviving stock and preventing the stock from being fished above the maximum sustainable yield are crucial for its survival.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should demand an end to pollution of the oceans, and should demand universal observance of sustainable management practices of ocean fisheries.]
  

• 6/13 (Th B 5/14): Saga Dawa Duchen--Tibetan (and Theravadin) Buddhist festival celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BCE). (Theravadin Buddhist festival a/k/a Wesak, Vesak, Vesakha Puja, Visakha Puja, Budh Purnima, Buddha Jayanti] (Tibetan Buddhist festival: 4th Tibetan month, 15th day; Theravadin Buddhist festival: May UT Full Moon day]
  

• 6/13: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana. [See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day]
  

• 6/22: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 6/26: Day torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment were outlawed world-wide (1987); day to mourn their continued existence. [Torture is an illegal, immoral, and ineffective means of interrogation and punishment. All officials have a legal duty and a moral obligation to refuse an order to commit torture and to prevent it from occurring. Anyone who attempts, conspires, or commits torture is legally culpable. All acts of torture should be investigated, prosecuted, and punished. Neither war nor civil strife nor emergency justifies torture.] [Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment: adopted 12/10/1984; signed 2/4/1985; entered into force 6/26/1987.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should condemn torture, and should demand an end to the use of torture - of anyone for any purpose.] [a/k/a International Day in Support of Victims of Torture]
  

• 6/27: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that ignorance (misunderstanding), desire (greed), aversion (hate), passion (anger), and ego (selfishness and pride) generate negative volitional action, which generates negative karma, which generates negative consequences, which generates suffering. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 7/1: Day the world's nations committed to stop proliferation of nuclear weapons (1968); vigil to protest the production and use of all nuclear weapons world-wide. [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: signed 7/1/1968; entered into force 3/5/1970.] [The U.S. used 2 atomic bombs on Japan in 8/1945: over 270,000 civilians died from the bombs and radiation. The original nuclear powers (including the U.S. and China) have failed to destroy their nuclear weapons in spite of the Treaty's requirement that they work towards disarmament. North Korea has developed nuclear weapons in spite of the Treaty's prohibition. 9 countries are known to currently possess nuclear weapons, and other countries are attempting to develop or acquire them.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of nuclear weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.]
  

• 7/1: Day endangered species became internationally protected (1975); day to celebrate all the world's creatures. [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora a/k/a C.I.T.E.S.: signed/adopted 3/3/1973; entered into force 7/1/1975.]
  

• 7/2: Day discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender, and religion was prohibited in public accommodations, employment, and education (1964). [The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.] [Pub. L. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241, 42 U.S.C. 2000a et seq.]
  

• 7/5: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra. [See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 7/5: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that alienation and hunger for possessions results from ignorance of interconnectedness.
  

• 7/6: Birthday of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. (Tibetan Buddhists believe he is a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara, Bodhisattva God of Compassion.]
  

• 7/7: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 7/8 to 7/15: Chinese Buddhist festival of Kuan Yin/Kannon/Tara, Supreme Goddess of Nature and Perfect Buddha of many emanations; celebrates Her enlightenment and Her bodhisattva vow to help all sentient beings. Buddhists act daily on their vows to help all sentient beings. [6th Chinese month, 12th to 19th days]
  

• 7/12: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana. [See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day]
  

• 7/13 to 7/15: Obon--Zen Buddhist festival honoring departed ancestors. [a/k/a Bon)
  

• 7/21: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 7/26: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration establish the mental discipline needed to end suffering. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 7/30 (Th B 7/12): Chokhor Duchen--Tibetan (and Theravadin) Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's first teaching. (Theravadin Buddhist festival a/k/a Esala, Ashala Dhamma, Asalha Puja) (Tibetan Buddhist festival: 6th Tibetan month, 4th day; Theravadin Buddhist festival: July UT Full Moon day]
  

• 8/1: Day the production and use of cluster munitions was outlawed world-wide (2010); day to mourn their victims. [The Convention on Cluster Munitions a/k/a C.C.M.: Treaty adopted 5/30/2008, signed 12/3/2008; entered into force 8/1/2010.] [The treaty was opposed by countries that produce or stockpile significant quantities of cluster munitions, including the U.S. and China.] [Cluster bombs disperse smaller bomblets over a wide area. They are inherently inaccurate, making civilian casualties more likely. Unexploded cluster bombs remain a life-threatening hazard for civilians long after conflict ends.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should renounce the production and use of cluster munitions, and should demand removal and destruction of all existing cluster munitions.]
  

• 8/2: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that desire for power over others results from ignorance of interdependence.
  

• 8/4: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra. [See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 8/6: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 8/6: Day to mourn those harmed by the atomic bomb attacks on Japan (1945); day to advocate for world-wide prohibition of all weapons of mass destruction. [[[Wikipedia:Hiroshima|Hiroshima]] was bombed on 8/6/1945; Nagasaki was bombed on 8/9/1945: over 270,000 civilians died from the bombs and radiation.] [Use of weapons of mass destruction is now recognized to constitute a crime against humanity and cannot be justified under any circumstances.] [While the U.S. government bombed Japanese cities, few Americans authorized it. Virtually all Americans alive today disapprove of the disproportionate use of force, and many Americans at the time disapproved as well. While it is appropriate to expect atonement from the U.S. government, it is immoral to blame all Americans today for the acts of the U.S. government in 1945.]
  

• 8/8: Vigil for continuing progress in Burma's democratic evolution and respect for human rights. [On 8/8/1988, a pro-democracy demonstration opposing the authoritarian military government was attacked by government troops.] (Burma (a/k/a Myanmar) became independent in 1948. However, a military ruler dominated Burma from 1962 to 1988, and a military junta took control in 1988. Despite her National League for Democracy Party being elected in 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi was never allowed to serve in office. Instead, she was held under house arrest for almost 15 years. And for 20 years, the military junta suppressed democratic efforts and violated human rights. However, since 2008, the military junta has been making efforts towards reform. In 2010, the first elections since 1990 were held. Though that election was not considered to be free and fair, the military-supported civilian government that was elected has been instituting reforms.]
  

• 8/10: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana. [See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day]
  

• 8/20: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 8/25: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that right effort is the will to prevent negative thoughts from arising that could generate harmful words or action, the will to eliminate negative thoughts that have arisen, the will to generate positive thoughts, and the will to maintain positive thoughts. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 8/28: Opening of the Second World Parliament of Religions (1993), attended by members of all the world's religions. A Global Ethic was adopted that condemns hatred, aggression, oppression, and environmental abuses committed in the name of religion.
  

• 9/2: Day for meditation on Tantric Bodhisattva Goddess Gold Tara, provider of all sustenance and necessities. [See Gold Tara Mantra) [a/k/a Tara Puja) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 9/3: Day gender discrimination was outlawed world-wide (1981); day to mourn all manifestations of sexism. [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women: adopted by U.N. General Assembly 12/18/1979; signed 3/1/1980; entered into force 9/3/1981.]
  

• 9/4: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 9/6: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that harm to the Earth and sentient beings results from ignorance of interdependence.
  

• 9/9: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana. [See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, UT Full Moon day]
  

• 9/15: International Day of Democracy--Day to celebrate democratic systems of government throughout the world, bound by rule of law, principles of human rights, and civilian control. Day to affirm democracy's compatibility with all peoples, all cultures, and all religions. [In a democracy, both military and police are subject to rule of law and subordinate to civilian government. The military exists to protect the lawful civilian government and civilians; the police exists to enforce the law and protect people from criminals.] [a/k/a Democracy Day]
  

• 9/18: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 9/21: International Day of Peace--Day to demonstrate for peace with justice throughout the world. (Peace can be realized where there is recognition of sovereignty/autonomy, compliance with just law, respectful behavior, responsible sharing of resources, cooperation to attain common goals, and reasonable compromise to enable all to meet lawful goals.]
  

• 9/23: Aki-no-Higan--Day Japanese Buddhists mark the time of change by meditating on the impermanence of life. [a/k/a Ohigan)
  

• 9/24: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that right mindfulness is complete awareness of breathing, self, and surroundings, and their relationship in the present moment. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 10/2: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra. [See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 10/3: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 10/4: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that fear and hatred of others results from ignorance of interconnectedness.
  

• 10/5: Day honoring Zen Buddhist philosopher Bodhidharma (470-543), who believed one could attain Buddhahood by realizing one's own Buddha nature. [a/k/a Bodhidharma Day]
  

• 10/8: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana. [See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day]
  

• 10/12: Chinese Buddhist festival of Goddess Kuan Yin/Kannon/Tara; celebrates Her attainment of Bodhisattvahood. [9th Chinese month, 19th day]
  

• 10/18: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 10/18: Day the Clean Water Act was enacted (1972); day to give thanks for the water we drink. [Pub. L. 92-500, 86 Stat. 896, 10/18/1972: 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.]
  

• 10/21: Day military attacks on civilians were outlawed world-wide (1950); day to mourn all civilian victims of war. [All soldiers have a legal duty and a moral obligation to refuse an order to attack a noncombatant. Anyone who plans, orders, or carries out such an act is legally culpable. All attacks on noncombatants should be investigated, prosecuted, and punished.] [Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War a/k/a Fourth Geneva Convention: signed 8/12/1949; entered into force 10/21/1950.] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should condemn all attacks on noncombatants, and should demand an end to them.]
  

• 10/23: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that right concentration is emptying the mind of negative thoughts, focusing on positive thoughts, and one-pointed meditation to realize equanimity. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 10/31: Tara Puja--Tibetan Buddhist fast of Bodhisattva Goddess Tara. All are equal in Her circles; She is worshipped with meditations on mandalas and chanting of mantra. [See Green Tara Mantra) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 11/1: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for mindfully seeing and acting with compassion for the Earth and all creatures.
  

• 11/2: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 11/6: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana. [See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day]
  

• 11/7: World Community Day--Day for celebrating the unity behind diversity and remembering we are all one people - all children of the one universal Deity of many names and aspects.
  

• 11/16: Tolerance Day--Day to promote harmony in diversity through mutual respect and understanding of all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, nationality, or economic status. [Despite international and domestic laws providing for equal rights, freedoms, and protections, members of minority groups are still harassed and discriminated against because of societal intolerance arising from fear and ignorance.] [Intolerance often results from projection of "collective guilt": it is immoral to blame an entire group for the acts of a member unless the entire group empowered the member who acted or endorsed the acts.] [a/k/a International Day for Tolerance)
  

• 11/17: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 11/20: Fast for an Abundant World Harvest--Day to fast and commit to action to help prevent deaths from malnourishment world-wide. [a/k/a Fast for a World Harvest]
  

• 11/22: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Ten Perfections to be mastered through meditation on the Buddha's teachings are generosity, morality, selfless detachment, understanding, perseverance, patience, truthfulness, determination, loving-kindness, and equanimity. These generate wisdom and compassion. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 11/27: Thanksgiving Day--Day to give thanks for the abundance of our land and for our food, clothes, shelter, and health.
  

• 11/29: Day for meditation on Tantric Bodhisattva Goddess White Tara, who guides the dead to Buddha Amitabha's Pure Land, where all will find salvation. [See White Tara Mantra) [a/k/a Tara Puja) [8th Tibetan day]
  

• 12/1: Dakas' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas (male embodiments of enlightened energy) and Father Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Daka Puja, Father Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [10th Tibetan day]
  

• 12/1: World AIDS Day--Day to pray for healing of all those suffering with AIDS and HIV.
  

• 12/6: Amitabha Buddha Day--Day Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhists do good deeds and chant the name of Buddha God Amitabha/Omito/Amida to gain entry to His Pure Land and aid in attaining nirvana. [See Amitabha Mantra) [15th Tibetan day, 15th Chinese day, UT Full Moon day]
  

• 12/6: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for mindfully seeing and acting with compassion for the poor and oppressed.
  

• 12/7: National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day--Day to commemorate the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and remember the innocent who died in the 1941 attack. [While Emperor Hirohito's Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor, few Japanese authorized it. Virtually all Japanese alive today disapprove of the unprovoked attack, and many Japanese at the time disapproved as well. While it is appropriate to expect atonement from the Japanese government, it is immoral to blame all Japanese today for the acts of the Japanese government in 1941.] [a/k/a Pearl Harbor Day]
  

• 12/8: Rohatsu--Zen Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's enlightenment. [a/k/a Bodhi Day)
  

• 12/10: Day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, and fundamental rights were recognized world-wide (1948). [The U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (U.D.H.R.) in Resolution 217 A(III).] [In the name of the Buddha, and for love of the Buddha, Buddhists should demand universal observance of all rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - for all people.] [a/k/a International Human Rights Day]
  

• 12/13: Lha Bab Duchen--Day Tibetan Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's descent from heaven after teaching the Dharma there. [9th Tibetan month, 22nd day]
  

• 12/15: Day the Bill of Rights became part of the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental rights to all (1791). [a/k/a Bill of Rights Day]
  

• 12/16: Dakinis' Day--Day Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakinis (female embodiments of enlightened energy) and Mother Tantra; day to unite will and power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. [Observed primarily by Tantric initiates.] [a/k/a Dakini Puja, Mother Tantra Puja, Tsog, Tsok) [25th Tibetan day]
  

• 12/17: Day the Clean Air Act was enacted (1963); day to give thanks for the air we breathe. [Pub. L. 88-206, 77 Stat. 392, 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.]
  

• 12/21: Shakyamuni Buddha Day--Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. The Buddha taught that each person is responsible for ending his/her own suffering. [See Shakyamuni Mantra) [a/k/a Siddhartha Buddha Day] [30th Tibetan day, UT New Moon day]
  

• 12/26: Day to mourn all those killed in the Asian tsunami (2004) and to aid those who survived.
  

• 12/28: Day the Endangered Species Act was enacted (1973); day to mourn those creatures already extinct. [Pub. L. 93-205, 87 Stat. 884, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.]
  

• 12/29: Day for meditation on Tantric Bodhisattva Goddess Red Tara, protector against evil and harm. [See Red Tara Mantra) [a/k/a Tara Puja) [8th Tibetan day]
  

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(Buddhism is a religion founded in India by Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (also called Shakyamuni), following his attainment of enlightenment in 528 BCE. Buddhist denominations include Theravada Buddhism (also called Hinayana Buddhism), Mahayana Buddhism (which includes Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism), and Vajrayana Buddhism (also called Tibetan Buddhism and Tantric Buddhism). Beliefs, ritual practice, and holidays vary among the various Buddhist denominations. The holy scripture of Theravada Buddhism is the Pali Canon: Vinaya Pitaka (Book of Discipline), Sutta Pitaka (Book of Buddha's Discourses), and Abhidhamma Pitaka (Book of Higher Philosophy). The holy scripture of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism also include: the Heart Sutra, the Wisdom Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Diamond Sutra. Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma (Buddhist teachings), and the Sangha (Buddhist community). They believe in the Four Noble Truths, and follow the Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts of Morality. Buddhists recognize that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas constitute the ultimate Adi-Buddha. Engaged Buddhism embraces social and environmental activism as well as disarmament and World Peace.]

[There is no one Buddhist calendar. Theravada Buddhist holidays (with roots in Sri Lanka and Thailand) are based on a Theravada lunisolar calendar. Holidays are calculated based on Universal Time. Zen Buddhist holidays (with roots in Japan) are based on the Japanese (Gregorian) calendar and have fixed dates. Chinese Mahayana Buddhist holidays (Pure Land Buddhist holidays) are based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar and calculated from the Chinese New Year. The Chinese month begins on the day of the New Moon in China. Vajrayana Buddhist holidays (commonly called Tibetan Buddhist holidays or Tantric Buddhist holidays) are based on the unique Tibetan lunisolar calendar. The Tibetan New Year begins just after, or a month following, the Chinese New Year; the Tibetan month begins the day following the New Moon. Pursuant to prevailing practice, Tibetan Buddhist holidays are calculated based on Universal time. Those who wish to practice according to local time may need to make adjustments. Due to the necessity of "missing days" in the Tibetan calendar, some holidays (e.g. Tara Pujas, Dakas' Days, and Dakinis' Days) may be celebrated one day earlier/later on the Gregorian calendar than the date given. Though some Tibetan Buddhist holidays occur annually, many occur fortnightly or monthly.]

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