Saga Dawa is a special day for devoting all our thoughts, words, and actions for the benefit of others.

Saga Dawa Düchen marks the Buddha's enlightenment and parinirvana (passing beyond the cycle of death and rebirth). It is one of four holy days in the Vajrayana Buddhist calendar that mark events in the life of the Buddha.

Such a day is considered an auspicious time to make abundant offerings, circumambulate the stupas, and read and study the teachings. (In fact, so auspicious that the merit is considered to be multiplied 10 million times.)

"Buddha Shakyamuni has four unique features that distinguish him from among the thousand buddhas that appear in the Fortunate Aeon. His first unique feature is that he cares for the beings of this era of strife, an era in which the five degenerations are widespread. Among all the thousand buddhas, he is the only one who appears in such an unfortunate time.

At the time when the buddhas have not yet reached enlightenment but are still traveling the path as bodhisattvas, they all make specific aspirations for their future activities as buddhas. Buddha Shakyamuni, when he was still a bodhisattva, made five hundred great aspirations, all of which specifically entailed helping beings at the time when they, in general, would be tormented by the five degenerations.

None of the other buddhas that have appeared (or will appear) throughout the course of this Fortunate Aeon chose to emphasize such aspirations when they were traveling the bodhisattva path. Instead, it was their conclusion that sentient beings of the degenerate times would, in general, be unsuitable vessels for the dharma. Hence, Buddha Shakyamuni is considered to be more courageous than the other guides of the Fortunate Aeon. This manifest courage is the second of the four unique features that distinguish him from the other buddhas of the Fortunate Aeon.

Due to his extraordinarily compassionate development of bodhicitta and the marvelous five hundred aspirations he made, Buddha Shakyamuni was 'praised as the White Lotus' by all the other buddhas of this aeon. This is the third of the four unique features that distinguish Buddha Shakyamuni from the other buddhas of this Fortunate Aeon.

The fourth unique feature by which Buddha Shakyamuni is known is that of the immense power of blessing carried by his name. Whoever so much as hears his name will become a non-returner. Like a fish who has entered a fisherman's net, any being who makes a connection of any kind with Buddha Shakyamuni has entered into his net of compassion. The immense blessing power emanating from Buddha Shakyamuni arises on the basis of his immeasurable qualities and due to the strength of his former aspirations. His compassion is beyond all concepts and thoughts and thus reaches out to all sentient beings, free from even the most subtle bias or partiality...

...Among the immeasurable qualities of the Buddha, eight of his foremost qualities manifest as the eight bodhisattvas:

1. the personification of the Buddha's wisdom is Bodhisattva Manjushri;
2. the personification of the Buddha's compassion appears as Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara;
3. the personification of the Buddha's power or capacity is Bodhisattva Vajrapani;
4. the personification of the Buddha's activity is Bodhisattva Maitreya;
5. the personification of the Buddha's merit arises as Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha;
6. the personification of the Buddha's qualities appears as Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhi;
7. the personification of the Buddha's blessings arises as Bodhisattva Akasagarbha; and
8. the personification of Buddha's aspirations is manifest as Bodhisattva Samantabhadra."

- From Chapter 1 of Drops of Nectar, Khenpo Kunpal's commentary on the Bodhisattva-Charyavatara with explanations by Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche.

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