Universal Incense Offering Day & Lhabsang Puja འཛམ་གླིང་སྤྱི་བསངས། ལྷ་བསངས། June 29, 2026

This is a Tibetan Buddhist festival also known as Dzam Ling Chi Sang. This is celebrated on the 15th day of the fifth month in Tibetan Calendar. This is the festival wherein a spiritual cleansing is performed. On this day, Tibetan Buddhists go to the tops of local mountains to burn incense and hang prayer flags. And because of the burning of incenses as offerings, this is also known as The Incense Festival. 

Universal Incense Offering Day (Zamling Chisang)
Originally, this day commemorated Guru Rinpoche’s (Padmasambhava) victory over the local spirits and deities of Tibet, who were transformed into protectors of the Dharma. Today, it is celebrated as a "World Purification Day" where practitioners focus on cleansing the environment and local spirits of negativity.

The Lhabsang Puja
The central ritual of this day is the Lhabsang, a profound smoke offering ceremony. The term "Lha" refers to higher beings or deities, and "Sang" means to purify or cleanse.

The Offering (Sang): Large bonfires or incense burners are filled with aromatic herbs (such as juniper, cedar, and sandalwood), roasted barley flour (tsampa), butter, honey, and milk.

The Smoke: The thick, fragrant smoke is visualized as an infinite cloud of nectar. It is offered to four classes of guests: the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Protectors, local deities/spirits, and all sentient beings to whom we owe "karmic debts."

The Intent: The ritual is designed to "awaken" the wind-horse (Lungta), which represents personal power, luck, and vitality.

Importance and Benefits
The combination of the festival and the puja serves several key purposes:

Purification: It cleanses the "pollution" of the mind and the environment caused by negative actions and broken commitments.

Appeasing Local Spirits: By offering fragrant smoke, practitioners seek to pacify local spirits, ensuring peace, timely rains, and a harmonious relationship with nature.

Removing Obstacles: It is believed to clear "bad luck" and spiritual blockages, paving the way for success in both worldly and spiritual endeavors.

Community Merit: On Zamling Chisang, many communities gather on hillsides or near water to burn incense and raise new prayer flags, collectively strengthening the positive energy of the region.

The ceremony typically concludes with the joyous shouting of "Lha-Gyal-Lo!" (Victory to the Deities!), symbolizing the triumph of enlightened energy over confusion and harm.

This festival was originally meant to commemorate Guru Rinpoche's subjugation of the local deities. 'Sang' is a Tibetan 'ritual fireworks'. Branches pine and cypress, leaves of herbs such as Artemisia argyi and heath are used to burn the incense.