Dharma Gem Festival

Before attaining enlightenment, Shakyamuni Buddha practiced asceticism for six years. Sustaining himself on merely one sesame or wheat grain a day, he became so emaciated that his appearance completely changed. Through this experience, he realized that liberation could not be achieved by torturing the body.

One day, weakened by fasting, he collapsed along the banks of the Nairanjana River. A compassionate shepherdess named Sujātā offered him a bowl of milk, and his strength gradually returned. Sitting beneath a shady pipal (pagoda fig) tree, he entered profound meditation. In that stillness, he awakened to the Ultimate Truth: “All beings possess Buddha-nature.”

This occurred on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar—a day later generations call “Buddha’s Day of Awakening.”

To commemorate this sacred event, Buddhists around the world follow Sujātā’s example by preparing a clear porridge made of rice, grains, and fruit, known as Laba Congee, as an offering to the Buddha.

On this day, Buddhist temples and community organizations also prepare and share Laba Congee as offerings to the Buddha and to the people, symbolizing peace, gratitude, and auspiciousness.