Celebration Of Enlightenment
Early May brings about Taurus’s full moon; which also brings about a special Buddhist celebration; Wesak (or Vesak) is known as the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing into Nirvana (Nibbana). The idea of celebrating these three life-events is akin to celebrating the major tenets of Buddhism.
The celebration of birth means we recognize that Buddha was human and we can also strive to achieve the spiritual heights he attained.
The celebration of enlightenment points us towards a goal in which we do all we can to gain the full comprehension of our own spirit’s intention in life.
The celebration of Buddha’s passing into Nirvana means that we are reaching the nadir of our spiritual development. We then complete our decision to leave our desires and we are finally arriving at our “oneness� with the universe.
This year, Vesak day is being celebrated on two different days. It is celebrated on the full-moon day during the month of May, and since this May we have two full moons, we could have celebrated on the 2nd or we could celebrate on the 31st. (Sri Lanka, India & Malaysia celebrated on the 2nd while Thailand & Singapore are to celebrate on the 31st). Buddhists bring simple offerings (flowers, candles, incense) to the temple to remind them that “life is like beautiful flowers that soon wither and candles and incense that eventually burn out.� Birds or animals may be released as a symbol of liberation.
Whether you are a Buddhist or a Mormon, I suggest you take May 31st to celebrate the beauty and ultimate brevity of our lives. You can take the chance to identify the light within us that bonds both the celestial and the everlasting. If you take this time to focus on the exquisiteness of our humanity and spirituality, you may be able to find the balance between them.
mental and emotional health, Buddhist, religion, Vesak, Wesak, celebrations
May 9th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
I got stuck in an airport somewhere (Cleveland, I think) and bought a slim book about the life of Buddha. Almost made me want to shave my head and renounce all worldly possessions, to beg on the streets and meditate under a tree. Except here in America you’d be considered some crazy homeless guy.