Buddha Jayanti or also known as Buddha Purnima is the most sacred
festivals of Buddhist. Buddha Purnima (Buddha Birthday) is celebrated in
remembrance Lord Buddha. This day is the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. This
day commemorates three important events of Buddha's life
- His birth in 623 BC.
- His enlightment i.e. attainment of supreme wisdom, in 588 BC.
- His attainment of Nirvana i.e. the complete extinction of his self at
the age of 80.
This day is a thrice blessed day. Buddha means "enlightened one" -
someone who is completely freefrom all faults and mental obstructions.
Gautam Buddha was not a god and the philosophy of Buddhism does not
entail any theistic world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are solely to
liberate human beings from the misery and sufferings of life.
According to the Buddhism, sorrow and desire are the main cause of all
the evil and suffering of this world. Lord Buddha advocated the Eightfold Path
consisting of precepts like right conduct, right motive, right speech, right
effort, right resolve, right livelihood, right attention and right meditation
to gain mastery over suffering. It is only after following this path one can
reach the ultimate aim of Nirvana. Nirvana is the transcendental state of
complete liberation. Gautama Buddha lived and taught in northern Inda in the
6th Century B.C.
Buddha travelled far and wide teaching hundreds of followers. Even after
death his disciples continued to spread his teachings.
Rich and poor alike were attracted by the simplicity of Buddha’s teaching
and his emphasis on complete equality of all, a notion antithetical to the
existing Hindu caste system. The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka espoused the Buddhist
religion in the 3rd century B.C. and helped in spreading it far and wide.
Sarnath and Bodhgaya are two of the most important pilgrimage centres for the
Buddhists.
Though Buddhism originated in India and the religion has gained
tremendous popularity throughout the Far East in Asia, there are very few
practising Buddhists in the country. The number of Buddhists in the world
ranges "from less than two hundred million, to more than five hundred million,
with the lower number closer to reality."
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We are today celebrating Guru Poornima. What is the real Guru Poornima? Is it
simply the full moon day in the month of Aashaada? This is the common view. But
the great ones have given other meanings to it. One meaning is that it was on
this day Vyasa began writing the Brahma Sutra. It was also on this day that the
Buddha attained enlightenment and taught his disciples "All is sorrow; All is
transient; All is void". For these reasons, the day is known as Guru Poornima,
Vyasa Poornima or Buddha Poornima.
- From Bhagawan's Buddha Poornima Discourse in May'1981.
OUR LIFE IS HIS MESSAGE
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The day of Vaisakh Purnima, which falls in the month of May, is considered most
sacred by Buddhists all over the world. Today,is significant for three reasons.
It was on this day that Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born as
Prince Siddhartha at Lumbini in Nepal in 560 B.C. It is also the day when He
attained enlightenment at Gaya in India, after years of search and enquiry into
the causes and remedy for sorrow in the world. Thereafter, Siddhartha came to
be known as Buddha, or the Enlightened one. He preached that desires are at the
root of all sorrow and hence advocated the path of right conduct and the right
use of senses as the way to enlightenment. He attained Nirvana (Unity with the
Absolute) in 480 B.C., again on the day of Vaisakh Purnima.
This auspicious day is observed as Buddha Purnima with reverence and piety by
believers in the Far East countries and in Sri Lanka and India as well.
OUR LIFE IS HIS MESSAGE
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Bhagawan once told Narrated a most wonderful story of the Buddha :
Buddha used to keep with him always a rattle-drum. His disciples once asked
him: "Master!Why are you always keeping this rattle-drum by your side?"
Buddha replied: "I shall play on this drum the day a person who has made the
greatest sacrifice approaches me." Everyone was eager to know who this person
would be. Wishing to attain this distinction, a Maharaja loaded his elephants
with considerable treasure and went to Buddha. He hoped to offer the treasure
to Buddha and earn his praise.
On the way, an old woman greeted the Maharaja and pleaded: "I am hungry. Will
you give me some food?" The Maharaja took out a pomegranate fruit from his
palanquin and gave it to the old woman. The old woman came to Buddha with the
fruit.
By then, the Maharaja had also come to Buddha and was eagerly waiting to see
when Buddha would sound the rattle-drum. For a long time Buddha did not use it.
The Maharaja stayed on. The old woman approached Buddha staggering on her legs,
and offered him the pomegranate fruit. Buddha took it immediately and sounded
the little drum.
The Maharaja asked Buddha: "I offered so much wealth to you. You did not sound
the drum. But you rattled it after receiving a small fruit. Is this a great
sacrifice. Buddha replied: "Maharaja! In sacrifice, it is not quantity that
counts. It is the quality of sacrifice that matters. It is natural for a
Maharaja to offer gold. But what great sacrifice is made when a hungry old
women offers the pomegranate fruit to the Guru despite her hunger. She did not
care even for her life and gave the fruit. What greater sacrifice can there be?
It is not sacrifice to offer what is superfluous for you. True sacrifice means
giving up that which is most dear to you, that which you value most."
Wonderful Story.
OUR LIFE IS HIS MESSAGE
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