Today is Vesakha, or Vesak, sometimes called “Buddha’s Birthday” or “Buddha Day”. This religious holiday is the holiest day of the year for Buddhists, and marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha.
According to BuddhaNet.Net, Buddha meditated under the Bodhi Tree in Bihar, India. One night, he experienced three revelations, each one corresponding to a different watch period.
The first revelation was understanding and insight into his past lives. The second revelation was of the cycle of reincarnation according to karma. The third revelation was the cessation of suffering. With this knowledge, he became Enlightened.
The Buddhist e-book “Good Question, Good Answer” explains that Buddhism teaches the Four Noble Truths: Truth of Suffering, Origin of Suffering(desire is the root cause of suffering), Cessation of Suffering (eliminating desire will free one from the cycle of reincarnation), Path to End Suffering.
The e-book “The Four Noble Truths”, the condensed teachings of the Venerable Ajahn Sumedho, explains that the path to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path is “Right Understanding, Right Aspiration, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.”
Buddhist–Tourism.com reports that Vesak is celebrated on the first full moon of Taurus, which is typically in May. However, Buddhist religious observances during this time predate the formal naming of the holiday.
“Unlike usual festivals, where people dress up beautifully and prepare delicious dishes, during Vesak, Buddhists endeavor to bring a bit of happiness in the life of miserable people like the aged, handicapped and the sick,” Buddhist-Tourism.com reports. “For this, they give away gifts in both cash and kind.”
Eating vegetarian food, listening to ancient Buddhist scriptures, praying, meditating and presenting offerings symbolizing the transient nature of life are also part of the festival.
In Indianapolis, Vesak will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on May 30 at the AnLac Temple, Vietnamese American Buddhist Association, 5249 E. 30th St, according to Eventful.com.
Author : Becky Oberg
Source : http://www.examiner.com
