Vesak
How Buddha's Birthday Is Celebrated Around The World
What do you get for the man who has attained perfect enlightenment? That depends on where in the world you are celebrating.
Buddha's birthday, known as Vesak Day (or Wesak), is celebrated on various dates in the spring throughout the world, and each Buddhist culture has its own traditions for the day.
It is usually observed during the first full moon in May.
Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's three most important life stages on Vesak: Birth, Enlightenment and Death, which traditionally are said to all have happened on the same day of the calendar throughout his life.
The birth story is important because the Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal, while his mother stood holding onto a tree. Once born he is said to have taken seven steps forward after which a lotus flower arose from each footstep. He then declared that this was his last rebirth and that he would become an enlightened individual
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In South Korea, followers light lotus lanterns that cover the temples in remembrance of these lotus footsteps.
In Sri Lanka, where colorful lanterns are also used, elaborate electric light displays depict different stories from the Buddha's life.
In Indonesia, Buddhists light and release lanterns into the air while visiting the Borobudur temple.
In Taiwan, followers pour fragrant water over Buddha statues to symbolizing a fresh start in life.
In Singapore, devotees set caged birds free on the Buddha's birthday.
Bringing happiness to others
Celebrating
Vesākha also means making special efforts to bring happiness to the
unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. To this day,
Buddhists will distribute gifts in cash and kind to various charitable
homes throughout the country. Vesākha is also a time for great joy and
happiness, expressed not by pandering to one’s appetites but by
concentrating on useful activities such as decorating and illuminating
temples, painting and creating exquisite scenes from the life of the
Buddha for public dissemination. Devout Buddhists also vie with one
another to provide refreshments and vegetarian food to followers who
visit the temple to pay homage to the Enlightened One.
Tradition ascribes to the Buddha himself instruction on how to pay him homage. Just before he died, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how buddhists are expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practise loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.
Paying homage to the Buddha
Tradition ascribes to the Buddha himself instruction on how to pay him homage. Just before he died, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how buddhists are expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practise loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.
| Bangladesh: | Buddho Purnima or Buddho Joyonti | |
| Cambodia: | Vesak Bochea | |
| Chinese-speaking areas: | Fó Dàn or Fāt Dàahn | |
| Indonesia: | Waisak | |
| Japan: | Hanamatsuri | |
| Korea: | Seokka Tanshin-il | |
| Laos: | Vixakha Bouxa | |
| Malaysia: | Hari Wesak | |
| Myanmar (Burma): | Kason Full Moon Day | |
| Nepal: | Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti | |
| Philippines: | Araw ni Buddha | |
| Sri Lanka: | Wesak | |
| Thailand: | Wisakha Bucha or Visakah Puja | |
| Tibet: | Saga Dawa | |
| Vietnam: | Phật Đản |
Videos:
- Buddha - A Documentary About Buddhism
- The Life Of The Buddha - BBC Documentary with English/Greek/Catalan Subs
- Deva Premal - Gaté Gaté Mantra
- Buddha
- Deva Premal - Moola Mantra
Related Websites
Gautama Buddha - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha
About Buddha - http://www.aboutbuddha.org/
Basic Teaching Of Buddha - http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm
Buddha (c.480 BCE - c.400 BCE) - http://www.iep.utm.edu/buddha/
Buddha Quotes - http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html
Buddha, The Sensible Rationalist! - http://nirmukta.com/2011/01/26/buddha-the-sensible-rationalist/
Vesak - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak
About Buddha - http://www.aboutbuddha.org/
Basic Teaching Of Buddha - http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm
Buddha (c.480 BCE - c.400 BCE) - http://www.iep.utm.edu/buddha/
Buddha Quotes - http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html
Buddha, The Sensible Rationalist! - http://nirmukta.com/2011/01/26/buddha-the-sensible-rationalist/
Vesak - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak
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