Budhham, Sharanam, Gachchhami

When a person wakes up in the morning, he does not know whether he would live to see the next sunrise. A person tends to suffer from psychological wars, threats and amidst this crude realism; one seems to have forgotten the seemingly hollow words like peace and love.

Pallavi Bansal
“I seek the refuge of Buddha” When a person wakes up in the morning, he does not know whether he would live to see the next sunrise. A person tends to suffer from psychological wars, threats and amidst this crude realism; one seems to have forgotten the seemingly hollow words like peace and love. The world is proving itself to be a consistent battlefield, where peace is difficult to find, humanity marooned in the middle of war, terror, threat, bloodshed all around. But… There is something to be known, something to be followed, and something to be considered: “Let your love flow outward through the universe, to its height, its depth, its broad extent, a limitless love, without hatred or enmity. then as you stand or walk, sit or lie down,as long as you are awake, strive for this with a one-pointed mind; your life will bring heaven to earth.” Heaven on earth which requires immeasurable love, tranquillity, serenity, concord. And so, we have the festival of Buddha Poornima. The festival, which spreads the radiance of Buddha and his preaching, everywhere in this world. The full moon eats the dark clouds away Buddha Poornima is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar. It is a very important festival of the Buddhists, and is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Although Buddhists regard every full moon as sacred, the moon of the month of Vaisakh (April - May) has special significance because on this day the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and achieved Nirvana when he died. This strange, three-fold coincidence, gives Buddha Poornima its unique significance. The meaning says it all On this day, people all over the world commemorate three great events: The birth, enlightenment and the death of Gautam Buddha. As Buddhism spread from India to all parts of the world, the teachings were readily assimilated with the cultures of the people who accepted the teachings. On this day, everyone is expected to reaffirm their faith in the preaching of Buddha Dharma and to lead a noble religious life. It is a day for meditation and for radiating loving-kindness. Life of the Enlightened One • Buddha was born as a Bodhisattva in the ‘Heaven of the 33 gods’. When the time is karmically ripe for his manifestation on earth, he descended as a white elephant with six tusks in the womb of queen Maya, wife of Suddhodana, king of the Sakya in the capital Kapilavastu. • The birth took place in a garden near Lumbini. Immediately, after that the future Buddha took 7 steps in each of the four directions, pointing at heaven and earth and proclaiming: “I am the most worthy one in the universe”. • He was given the name Siddharta (which means fulfillment) and his family name was Gautama. • After his birth, a Brahmin prophesised that Siddhartha will get disillusioned with the material world and would venture out as a sage in search of wisdom to overcome suffering and misery. Fearing that the prophecy might come true, King Suddhodana brought up his son in immense luxury and a world devoid of sorrow. But destiny had something else in store for him. • For nearly thirteen years, after his happy marriage, he led a luxurious life, blissfully ignorant of the vicissitudes of life outside the palace gates. With time, truth gradually dawned upon him. • One day, he convinced his charioteer to take him outside the walls of his palace and he was shocked to see the sight of an old man, a cripple, and a corpse. He had no personal grief but he felt deep pity for suffering humanity. Amidst comfort and prosperity, he realised the universality of sorrow. • After which, his journey of attaining enlightenment started and he accomplished it after 49 days of intense meditation under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya in Bihar and when he became the Enlightened One, he preached the sermon of the Middle Path, which shows the way to a balanced and harmonious life. • At the age of 80, Buddha announced that he would soon enter Parinirvana or the final deathless state abandoning the earthly body. After this, the Buddha ate his last meal, which he had received as an offering from a blacksmith named Cunda. Falling violently ill, Buddha instructed his attendant Ânanda to convince Cunda that the meal eaten at his place would have nothing to do with his impending death and that his meal would be a source of the greatest merit as it would provide the last meal for a Buddha. Buddha is no more in his physical form but he still exists in our mind, heart and soul. And the best way to revere him is to follow his preaching and proliferate to others also. “Proclaim the teaching for the sake of those who have but little dust on their eyelids.” A light lit in every human being Image of God is in every human being, even in the wicked of all. All of us are part of God and even the least deserving should be given as much respect and love as we expect for ourselves. Thus, one should proclaim the teaching for the sake of those who have dust on their eyelids. So, that inculcates the feeling of love and affection for every human being. Buddha’s teaching could be the preliminary step in the fight against TERRORISM and NOT TERRORISTS. This message that is determining in celebration of Buddha Poornima. Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle Happiness lies within us but we rarely feel happy. Happiness means contentment and self-satisfaction which gives peace of mind and which can only be achieved by loving, being selfless and helping others. But it is the ‘ego’ or ‘self’ which is the major cause of human suffering. This only results in war, terror, violence and bloodshed. If we do not give so much importance to ourselves, then we can be happy and better off as human beings. Thus, it is the meaning of the festival that one should comprehend and the preaching of Mahatma Buddha that one should take into account. This is the best way to celebrate the festival of Mahatma Buddha, on this earth which teaches us not to exchange blows but to love. - Love God and his creations - Respect oneself as well as other people - Serve others and especially the needy - The greatest patience lies in humility - The biggest achievement is selflessness - One’s goodness is peaceful mind - View all problems as challenges It is never too late to do anything, even if one is dying tomorrow.