The Medicine Buddha calendar: the 8th, the 30th of the ninth month, and other dates
Depending on the country, the Medicine Buddha has his day in the month or in the year.
The Medicine Buddha has no single “feast day”. Each tradition gave him dates that follow the lunar calendar. Here they are, with sources.
In Tibet and the Himalaya: the 8th of the lunar month
In the Tibetan calendar the eighth day of the lunar month is dedicated to the Medicine Buddha. The other days are the 10th (Guru Rinpoche), the 15th (Amitābha), the 25th (dākinī day) and the 30th (Śākyamuni). In practice centres a Medicine Buddha puja is traditionally held that day. Online and in-person pujas are listed on our Services page.
In Japan: the 8th of the month and the flower festival
In temples dedicated to Yakushi, the eighth day of each month is a ritual day (ennichi). At Yakushi-ji in Nara there is a sūtra reading at 11 a.m. that day and a talk in the afternoon. Each spring the temple holds the Hanae-shiki (flower festival), in the last week of March (25 to 31 March today; it used to be 30 March to 5 April). The temple describes this ceremony on its official site.
In China and Taiwan: the last day of the ninth month
Chinese tradition places the birthday of Yaoshi Fo on the 30th day of the ninth lunar month. In 2026 that day falls on 8 November. Temples such as Lungshan in Mengjia, Taipei, hold Yaoshi ceremonies (Yaoshi fahui) over several days, with sūtra recitation, light offerings and collective devotion.
In practice
These days follow the moon: their date changes every year in our calendar, so it has to be checked. Centres and temples publish their programmes; we list several on the Services page with known dates.
Uncertainties
The exact day of the Buddha’s birthday varies between Chinese traditions (some give other dates); Hanae-shiki dates have changed; none of these days appears in the sūtra itself.
Sources
Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia, “Special days of the Tibetan Buddhist Calendar”; Yakushi-ji official site (ceremony calendar, Hanae-shiki); Nongminli (nml.tw), “藥師如來佛辰”; Longshan Temple (Taipei), announcement of the Yaoshi ceremonies.
Read the articleBhaiṣajyaguru, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Dhanvantari: not to be confused