Celebrating Chökhor Düchen (Wheel Turning Day) 2026 with Lama Yeshe Jinpa Rinpoche

In this dharma talk from Sunday, July 19th, 2026, Lama Yeshe Jinpa Rinpoche discusses the practice of celebrating Chökhor Düchen. The wheel begins to turn when we honestly recognize suffering and dissatisfaction, understand their causes, discover that freedom is possible, and begin practicing the path that leads to that freedom. It is not only a celebration of something the Buddha did long ago. It is a reminder that awakening becomes meaningful when the teachings enter our hearts, reshape our habits, and guide how we live. The circular wheel also suggests movement and transformation. Confusion can become wisdom, anger can become patience, attachment can become generosity, and self-centeredness can open into compassion. The hub represents the stable center of ethical conduct and awareness; the spokes represent the practices that support awakening; and the rim suggests the wholeness and interdependence of the path. Wheel Turning Day also carries a responsibility: once we receive teachings, we help keep the wheel turning by practicing them, preserving them, sharing them appropriately, and expressing them through kindness and service. In this sense, the deepest celebration is not ceremonial. It is to ask: How can my life become a source of greater peace? Lion's Roar Dharma Center at Do Nga Dargey Temple in Sacramento, California, is a Tibetan Buddhist Temple within the Gelugpa Lineage. Lama Yeshe Jinpa is the spiritual director and resident teacher of Lion’s Roar Dharma Center, which he co-founded with Geshe Losang Gyatso in 1992. In 1995, Lama Jinpa received direct heart/mind transmission from Geshe Gyatso after 25 years of Dharma practice and study. He is one of the few western lamas thus far recognized within the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism, the lineage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.