Picture stepping into a Sakya monastery just as the morning sun filters through ancient murals. The heart and soul of this tradition lies in ceremonies that weave together scholarship and high tantra, each carrying the Khön family’s unbroken lineage.

• Lamdré Lobshe and Tsogshe Empowerments
A twofold jewel, the Lamdré (“Path and Its Fruit”) teachings arrive with outer and inner empowerments. During Lobshe, secret mantra recitations pulse through the assembly; Tsogshe follows with elaborate tsok offerings—multi-colored tormas, fragrant herbal cakes and guru-yoga chants—that feel like magic coming alive in every corner of the temple.

• Hevajra Abhisheka Cycle
Unique to Sakya is the five-mandala Hevajra empowerment. In spring 2025, crowds gathered for the latest cycle at Dehra Dun’s Sakya Centre, marveling at the intricate mandala sand paintings and the precise ritual hand-gestures (mudrās) that have been handed down for centuries.

• Vajrakīlaya (Dorje Phurba) Rite
This piercing-through-obstacles ceremony, performed once in a blue moon when coalitions of Sakya lamas converge, features the legendary ritual dagger. The distinct liturgy and powerful phurba consecrations are said to clear karmic knots on a profound level.

• Protector Deity Rites
Mahākāla and Palden Lhamo occupy a special chamber here. Chanting deep into the night, Sakya practitioners invoke these fierce guardians with unique verses found only in the Khön archives, ensuring the monastery’s well-being and that of the broader community.

• Annual Sakya Trizin Enthronement
When a new Sakya Trizin (throne holder) is installed, the entire lineage gathers in resplendent brocade robes. A cascade of ritual scarves, sacred water sprinklings and conch-shell fanfares mark this once-in-a-generation event.

• Medicine Buddha Festival
Each summer, the Medicine Buddha is celebrated with herbal water-blessing ceremonies and community healings. In recent years, local health workers have even joined in, blending modern medicine with traditional mantra healing—proof that Sakya’s living tradition keeps evolving.

Wandering through these rites, it’s impossible not to sense how scholastic rigor and ecstatic tantra dance together here like old friends. The result is a tapestry of ritual that feels both timeless and startlingly alive.