Receive the empowerment of Buddha Shakyamuni this year at the Midwest Dharma Celebration, April 4-6, 2025. Get all your essential celebration items here or, if you're attending in person, get your items at the Celebration Tharpa Bookshop. 

Buddha Shakyamuni is the fourth of one thousand founding Buddhas who will appear in this world during this Fortunate Eon and the founder of Buddhism in this world. Buddha Shakyamuni is the principal object of refuge for all Buddhists. He is holding a begging bowl filled with three nectars, indicating that he has conquered the "demons" of uncontrolled death, a contaminated body and mind, and delusions, and is touching the ground, indicating his power to subdue all negative forces. In general, "Buddha" means "Awakened One," someone who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and sees things as they really are. A Buddha is a person who is completely free from all faults and mental obstructions. Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha.