ASEAN Life Vol 3 Mei 2016 | Page 13

The Birth, Enlightenment and Death of Lord Gautama Buddha W esak Day (also Vesak, Vesākha, Buddha Day and Buddha Purnima), is the holiest day for Buddhists. It is the celebration of the 3 important events in the life of Buddha: his birth, enlightenment and death. Wesak came from the word vesākha, the Hindu lunar month that falls between April and May. The celebration date is variable, as it depends on when the full moon will appear during this lunar month. Wesak Day is most common in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Myanmar, although it is celebrated by Buddhists around the world. The Birth, Enlightenment and Death of Buddha Buddhists believe that Buddha was born in Lumbini, now known as the country of Nepal, during a full moon. He was named Siddhārtha Gautama and was brought up as a prince by his father who was a chief and his mother who was a princess. He was given everything he needed and his father did everything to prevent his son from seeing the suffering, aging and sickness of other people. However, Siddhārtha finally saw what the real world was, that people experienced suffering and that they aged and got sick. Depressed, he left the palace to find the truth and be enlightened at the age of 29. He practiced yogic meditation under different teachers, but didn't find what he was looking for. He meditated for 49 Photo from wonderfulmalaysia.com days under a Bodhi tree where he attained enlightenment, and from then on was called Buddha or the Enlightened One. Meditation helped him to discover the Four Noble Truths – about suffering, about its origin, about ending it and the truth of the way leading to the end of suffering. When these four truths are mastered, it's believed that the person will achieve Nirvana or the perfect peace of mind. Buddha died at the age of 80 and his teachings continuously spread after that through his disciples. Celebration of Wesak Day Wesak Day is celebrated in a variety of ways. Temples are usually painted and decorated as Buddhists assemble there for the celebration. They sing hymns to honor the holy triple gem, which are The Buddha himself, his teachings known as The Dharma and his disciples called The Shangha. The followers bring offerings that include joss sticks, candles and flowers. These offerings also have their symbolisms. Joss sticks and candles will burn down, while flowers could decay. They are like life, which could end. Killing any form of life is prohibited during Wesak Day, so Buddhists have vegetarian meals for the entire day. More than the offerings and singing of hymns, they pay respect to Buddha's teachings by reaffirming their commitment to it, by living a noble life and promising to be kind and loving to others. They commit to spread harmony, love and peace wherever they go. Buddhists exert extra effort on Wesak Day to make other people happy, e