Buddha Poornima

Buddha Poornima, which falls on the full moon night in the month of Vaisakha (either in April or May), commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism. Notwithstanding the summer heat (the temperature routinely touches 45 degrees C), pilgrims come from all over the world to Bodh Gaya to attend the Buddha Poornima celebrations. The day is marked with prayer meets, sermons on the life of Gautam Buddha, religious discourses, continuous recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions, worship of the statue of Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple wears a festive look and is decorated with colourful flags and flowers. The Chinese scholar, Fa-Hien has recorded celebration of this festival.
Buddha Poornima

It is an important to give a summarized description on the Buddhist festivals in India, especially in the main places of worship. The principal annual ceremony for all the Buddhist is the Vaisaka Purnima known in Sri Lanka as Wesak festival and in India as Buddha Jayanti. Vaisaka Purnima day is fixed by the full-moon day of the month Vaisaka, which falls in May. Like all other Buddhist festivals it falls according to the Lunar year. It was of this day of the year, according to the year.

He attained Supreme Enlighten or Buddha hood, beneath the Bodhi-tree at Boddha Gaya. Forty-five years later at the age of eighty, he finally passed away in Parinivana on the same day of the year at Kushinagar. Vaisaka Purnima is celebrated especially in Boddha Gaya, Lumbini and in Kushinara as they are the holy places that were connected with the blessed ones birth, enlighten and the Parinirvana. Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Tibet, China, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal, Japan and quite a number of western Buddhists participate 'Vaisaka' Purnima Day religious activities in a festive mood. Sarnath the capital of Buddhism too celebrates Vaisaka Purnima day in a grand way.

The great Buddhist festival 'Vaisaka' ,although is an occasion for rejoicing doesn't encourage hectic gaiety and abandon. The happiness that the Buddhists feel when they are celebrating it is a tranquil, peaceful joy. The festival has its gay side as well. In most of the Buddhist countries the villages, roads, streets, temples and houses are brightly illuminated with color Lanterns, electric lights and colorful decorations.

Angulimala II

Angulimala II

For years Angulimala terrorized the countryside and townships. Because of his intelligence and daring expertise, he was never caught. Villages were deserted and the jungle tracks fell into disuse for fear of him. King Pasenadi finally ordered a detachment of soldiers to capture him. Dead or alive, Angulimala had to be caught at all costs.
However, Angulimal’s mother came to know just in time what was going to happen to her son. Determined to save her only son, whom she loved so dearly, she hastily made for the jungle where she knew he was hiding in order to warn him. Angulimala saw his mother coming and, gladdened that the last finger he required would soon be his, rushed forward with a raised sword to strike the poor lady who had given him birth and who had raised him up with great love and care.
Before the act of ultimate crime was committed, however, the Compassionate Buddha, who also had come to know what was going on, appeared before Angulimala and intercepted him just in the last moment.
Like a mad elephant, the bandit turned toward the Buddha, who was then walking away in the other direction. He ran after him, determined to finish his task. But however hard he tried, he could not come close enough to strike the Buddha with his sword that had drunk the blood of so many human lives.
This was a miracle. Angulimala only exhausted himself while the Buddha was walking at a leisurely pace.
At last Angulimala stopped. It was the first time he ever had to admit defeat. Still trying to catch his breath, the stone-hearted bandit cried out, “Stop! You there, hold it!”.
“I have stopped.” Said the Buddha still walking, “but you have not.”
Angulimala was puzzled.
“You’re lying!” he shouted even louder. “You’re walking, but you said you had stopped. I have stopped but you said I had not.”
Come the Buddha’s reply: “Angulimala, I have stopped doing evil. I have also given up running after pleasure. I have stopped from doing bad deeds, from speaking evil speech, and from thinking unwholesome thoughts! Come, Angulimala! Listen to the noble doctrine!”
The Buddha then proceeded to deliver a sermon to Angulimala. hiswords so completely changed Angulimala that the latter decided then and there to seek permission to enter the holy Order. he was later ordained by the Buddha at jeta Grove, while the angry populace were yelling at the king's palace for his blood. Little did they know of what was going on at the monastery.
Angulimala's holy life was by no means an easy one. Although he was pardoned by King Pasenadi, who was himself a staunch supporter of the Buddha, the people did not forget his past misdeeds. When he went outside the monastery, they fell on him with a vengeance, but on the advice of the Buddha he silently endured their wrath and radiated the thought of love and kindness to them. Gradually, he was able to win their love and respect and, eventually, became one of their most trusted spiritual preceptors.
Angulimala trained himself with great diligence and patience and finally attained Arahantship. His life demonstrtes that it is never too late to change yourself for the better.

Veshakhiya Purnima

The Veshakhiya Purnima, also known as the Buddha Purnima, is the thrice-blessed day of Buddhists. It falls on the full moon day of Vesakha (April-May). This is the greatest of all religious festivals of Buddhists all over the world, as the three memorable events (birth, enlightenment and the passing away) of the Buddha’s life took place on this day. One of the greatest spiritual teachers of mankind which Bharat (India) has produced is undoubtedly, Buddha. Edwin Arnold has fittingly called him the "Light of Asia".
Buddha's message has traveled far and wide and captured the hearts and minds of billions of people outside Bharat (India) also. Siddhartha, the only son of Shuddhodana, the King of Kapilavastu situated at the foot of Himalayas, was prophesied by the royal astrologer to become either a famous emperor or a world-renowned ascetic. The father, anxious that his son should not take to the thorny path of a recluse, took extraordinary precautions to avoid every situation which would provoke such thoughts in his son's mind. Siddhartha grew of age without ever knowing what misery or sorrow was. One day the prince desired to see the city. The King ordered that the city should be all gay and grand, so that everywhere his son would meet with only pleasing sights. However, the prince had seen an old and crippled man, a sick man and a corpse being carried to the funeral ground and an ascetic on 4 different days on different occasion. it was Chenna, the charioteer, who explained all those 4 different situations to the prince Siddhartha. At last was an ascetic who clinched the thoughts of the young prince. He was then hardly twenty-nine. In that full bloom of youth, in the midnight of a full-moon day, he bade good-bye to his dear parents, his beloved wife Yashodhara and sweet little child Rahul and all the royal pleasures and luxuries, and departed to the forest to seek for himself answers for the riddles of human misery. For seven long years, Siddhartha roamed in the jungles, underwent severe austerities and finally, on the Vesakhiya Punnama Day, the supreme light of Realization dawned on him. He thereafter became Buddha, the Enlightened One in the full moon day of Vesakhiya. When he was an itinerant monk, he was called Gautama and now he became popular as Gautama Buddha. Buddha's overflowing love for the downtrodden and destitute acted as one of the greatest factors for social harmony and justice to the weaker sections in the society. As days passed, the effect of Buddha's teachings not only influenced the Hindu people in general but contributed decisively in elevating spiritually several races spreading over a vast region of the globe, including areas such as the present-day Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmer, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Annam, Cochin, China, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Malaya, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Khotan in Central Asia. To this day most of these countries look upon Buddha as their supreme spiritual redeemer. Buddha passed into eternity after completing his Sahasra Chandra Darshana i.e., 1000 full moon days (80th year) on the full moon day of Vesakhiya - the day of his birth as also of his Enlightenment. And to this day, Buddha lives on as a beacon-light to billions the world over, who yearn for the peace and well-being of all living creation. Religious meetings, seminars, festivals and cultural functions depicting the life and teachings of the Buddha are held at every monastery and elsewhere under the auspices of various religious and cultural organizations in the auspicious Vesakhiya Punnama day. People take the vows of Pancha-Sila (five precepts) from the resident monk. They also observe the fast. Buddhists go to the monasteries in their best attires, offer the Buddha Puja (offering) in the morning with food, fruits and flowers, light candles and the burn incense before the image or statue of Buddha and pray homage to him. These offerings are accompanied with feasts given to the monks and alms distributed among the poor. In the evening also they visit monasteries, light candles and burn incense before the image of Buddha. The homage is also paid to the Bodhi (Pipal) tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.