Saka Dawa 2009

His Holiness the Dalai Lama presides over a Saka Dawa prayer session at the Tsuglag-Khang (Main Tibetan Temple) in Dharamsala, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Hundreds of Tibetan Buddhists, including monks and nuns, have been gathering and offering prayers at the Tsuglag-khang from Monday that marked the beginning of Buddhist holy month of Saka Dawa, the annual festival that represents the three most important events of the life of Lord Buddha – his birth, enlightenment and parinirvana. Tibetan Buddhists believe during Saka Dawa, the fourth month of the Tibetan Lunar calendar, the karmic results of virtuous and non-virtuous actions are magnified. (Photo: Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL)