During Saga Dawa, the karmic results of virtuous and non-virtuous actions are magnified and it is believed that the merit earned on this day is multiplied a million times. As a result, the tradition in the Tibetan community is to make offerings to their temple, Lama, and their community. One important offering that is made is to poor people. Tibetans in Tibet, India Nepal , etc., give beggars, for instance, money during this time. The poor people line up on the streets for weeks accepting these donations. It is a very touching and moving site. Some Tibetans also give money to save the lives of animals. For instance, giving a rancher or butcher money to save the life of a sheep. Then this sheep is taken to a herdsman who is paid regularly by the “sponsor” to take care of the animal. The karmic merit thought to accumulate from these actions, if the motivation is correct, can be enormous.
(Tibetan Cultural Center, Bloomington, Indiana)
