Black Friday: The Season of Merit

Why We Call It the Season of Merit

In the West, the last weeks of November belong to Black Friday. On the Tibetan Plateau, the same season is marked by Lhabab Düchen — one of the four great Buddhist festivals, celebrating the Buddha's descent from the heavens to return to the world. Its date follows the Tibetan lunar calendar and usually falls in late autumn.

Düchen days are traditionally believed to multiply the effect of every action many times over. Families light butter lamps, walk the kora around temples and give — to monasteries, to neighbours, to strangers. In Tibetan Buddhism, generosity (dāna) is the first of the six perfections: the practice said to open the way for all the others.

A gift instead of a markdown

Our pieces are handcrafted, one at a time, after you order. Slashing the price of that work never felt right. So instead of a sale, we answer every order this season — large or small — with a gift: the Inward Gaze multicolor bodhi bracelet.

A seed of awakening

Bodhi beads take their name from the tree under which the Buddha is said to have attained awakening, and they have long been strung into malas across the Himalayas. Each multicolor bodhi root bead holds a different natural tone — jade, honey, cream — like a year of seasons strung into one circle. At its centre, a single serene face rests with eyes closed: a quiet reminder that the stillness we look for is already within.

Tashi Delek — may all be auspicious and well.

Giving with intention

If you are choosing for someone else, begin with what you wish for them: protection on the road, a turn of fortune, a quieter mind. Our Spiritual Gift Guide for Men is arranged exactly that way.