Offering our Faith | Celebrations 2026 ~ Part 1
Jun 9, 2026
I was reasonably healthy and optimistic about my potential until March of 2020, when I sustained a life-altering head injury. The next couple of years were marked by subsequent head and neck injuries — a reality I struggled to accept.
The world really looks different. Instead of looking for faults everywhere, such as potholes in the road, traffic jams or grumpy people, I now see the kindness in between.
The envelope arrived in the mail explaining the basic info I needed to know for my surgery. “Surgery?” I thought… I wanted to use this experience to really apply Dharma, to strengthen my refuge practice.
We talk about “living in the now,” but having cancer gave me this real opportunity — this knowledge that if you truly live in the now, you won’t experience the suffering of things that haven’t happened.
On Dharmachakra Day, we celebrate Buddha’s first turning of the Wheel of Dharma and the birthday of our precious Spiritual Guide, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Here we share how Kadampa communities around the world rejoiced in these two special celebrations as one.