Life Release Practices
Asian time zone
Saturday, June 17: 6 a.m. in Taipei and 11 a.m. in Hong Kong
U.S. pACIFIC zone
Friday June 16: 3 P.M. AND 8 P.M.
Please pause and mindfully participate! Details below
The practice of life release – the purchase and release of beings who otherwise would die due to human activity – is taught to be a powerful practice for the benefit of sentient beings and for increasing the merit of those who are on the path of dharma.
Last year Nalandabodhi Seattle had planned two life releases of dungeness crabs into the waters of Puget Sound. Sangha members generously offered donations for the purchase of beings to be released. But we were unable to obtain a permit from the state of Washington due to a viral epidemic affecting crabs in the waters of the Pacific Northwest.
This year, our sister sanghas in Hong Kong and Taipei have offered to partner with Seattle in two practices to celebrate the June 24 birthday of our precious teacher, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. On Saturday morning (Friday afternoon and evening in the Pacific NW), a week before Rinpoche’s birthday, there will be life releases in Taipei and Hong Kong. Both local sanghas will take photos and videos and make them available to all sangha members. If you would like to make a donation for the two practices, you may click to donate:
Sangha members who cannot be onsite for the life releases may wish to pause at those times, bring the practices to mind and rejoice in their occurrence. You might consider making aspirations for the beings that have been freed and offer the wish that they encounter favorable conditions on their path to enlightenment.
Bearing these thoughts and aspirations in mind, you might also wish to chant the Tara mantra throughout the day. Om Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā.
Consult this world clock to convert the life-releases times in Taipei and Hong Kong to your local time zone.
