General Spiritual Director
Preparations nearly complete – Summer Festival 2026
Jul 22, 2026
Celebrating the day of Buddha's return from heaven
Each year September 22 marks the celebration of Buddha’s return from heaven.
Traditionally this day also marks the end of the summer retreat. Every year, during the summer months, Buddha did a three-month retreat with his disciples. His reason was to avoid harming insects and other animals.
If we go out a lot during the summer months we will naturally kill more insects and other animals than at other times of the year. The nature of Buddhadharma is compassion – an unbiased compassion that is not just for humans but for every living being, including animals.
In fact, we should have stronger compassion for animals than for human beings because animals suffer more. Human beings have better conditions and are more fortunate than animals. Because animals have so much suffering and no freedom, out of compassion Buddhists should try not to kill or disturb them.
So, for three months during the summer, Buddha advised his disciples to retreat, staying always inside and living carefully and conscientiously.
A special Day
One year during the summer retreat, Buddha transported himself to the Land of the Thirty-three Heavens to visit his mother, who had taken rebirth there after she died. Buddha deeply wanted to repay his mother’s kindness by teaching her Dharma.
The king of this realm is called Indra. The Indra who was king at that time was also Buddha’s disciple and he invited Buddha to go there and give teachings to the gods. So Buddha went to benefit his mother and also, at Indra’s request, to benefit the other gods living there. He stayed for three months teaching Dharma and then returned on this day.
This day is therefore very special. It is said that if we engage in any kind of virtuous action on this day it becomes especially powerful and our merit greatly increases. For example, if we offer one single light offering this action is multiplied to become millions of light offerings.
Kadampa centers around the world organize special activities including courses, meditations and prayers on this day. Check with your local center if you would like to join in any of these activities.
Our practice on this day
On this day we should especially remember Buddha’s kindness.
We now have a special wisdom that understands that killing animals is a negative action, so we abandon killing. We now have a special wisdom that understands what love is and can distinguish between love and attachment, so we try to abandon attachment and increase our love. Thus, we have a wonderful opportunity to develop unbiased compassion for all living beings, and in this way we can gain the special realization of bodhichitta, which is the root of complete enlightenment.
To find a center near you visit kadampa.org/map.
The text is extracted from a talk given by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche on this day in 1991
