Thoughts for Vesak
 He
who reveres those worthy of reverence, the Buddhas and their disciples,
who have transcended all obstacles and passed beyond the reach of sorrow
and lamentation - he who reveres such peaceful and fearless ones, his
merit none can compute by any measure. (Buddhavagga, Dhammapada)
Vesak, which celebrates the Birth, Enlightenment and the Passing Away
of the Buddha has now become a global event, but it is only in Sri Lanka
that Vesak is celebrated on such a large scale. There are spiritual and
material poojas to the Buddha all over the country, where Vesak is
celebrated as a national festival, not just a festival limited to
Buddhists.
Vesak has always been, and always will be, a time for unity. It is
not only Buddhists who take part in Vesak activities. It is truly a
national event where the whole country comes together as one. Many Vesak
dansalas, pandals and decorations are put up by organisations headed by
non-Buddhists. Singers from all communities join hands to sing
devotional songs for Vesak.
In fact, some of the most well-known Buddhist songs, played
repeatedly on radio stations during Vesak, have been performed by
non-Buddhists. Non-Buddhists help their Buddhist neighbours with their
Vesak decorations. Such religious and communal unity is vital to the
development of our country and Vesak is an occasion which reinforces
these bonds. This is in accordance with the teachings of the Enlightened
One, who advised His followers to respect other religions and their
views.
Vesak, the Holiest Day for Buddhists, gives them another opportunity
to begin life anew by adhering firmly to the Dhamma. “He who practices
the Dhamma abides in happiness with mind pacified; the wise man ever
delights in the Dhamma.” (Pandithavagga, The Dhammapada). The Dhamma has
shown us how to lead fulfilled, pious lives without contaminating our
minds with evil thoughts. Our Nation too is making a new start after
three decades of bloodshed, under a new administration that is committed
to uphold Buddhist values of compassion and peace.
Appropriate
Thus Vesak this year is most appropriate for spreading the message of
peace and reconciliation, the need of the hour. Today, the Nation is at
a crossroads, having opted for unity and peace instead of discord and
rancour. We have the Herculean task of rebuilding the Nation ahead of
us. And the Buddha Dhamma offers ample guidance for such a process of
healing and rebuilding of trust among all our peoples.
The Buddha during one of his visits to our island settled a dispute
between two factions, stressing the importance of peace. His message of
peace resonates to this day, for His words are immortal and timeless.
The Buddha advocated compassion for all beings, human and animal and
enunciated that hatred does not cease by hatred, but by love.
Indeed, these are moral values that our society has lost sight of in
the relentless pursuit of material wealth. This is not surprising in a
highly commercialised world, where money is generally regarded as
‘everything’. In fact, the Vesak festival itself is commercialised to
such an extent that many have forgotten its very purpose and foundation.
We see the glitter and glamour in the illuminations, the pandals but
fail to turn the light inwards to our inner selves with a view to
purifying our thoughts, words and deeds. We should see beyond the
decorations and strive to understand the Buddha Dhamma and how it
relates to our day-to-day lives.
Suffering
The Buddha exhorted that affinity towards material things leads to
constant suffering through Samsara. The Four Noble Truths and the Eight
Fold Path espoused by the Buddha point the way towards a permanent end
to this suffering - Nirvana, the State of Supreme Bliss. According to
the Dhammapada: “Do not follow a life of evil; do not live heedlessly;
do not have false views; do not value worldly things. In this way one
can get rid of suffering.” (Lokavagga, The Dhammapada).
While this is the ultimate goal of every Buddhist, it would be wrong
to assume that Buddhism is a very complicated philosophy that offers
nothing for our lay lives. The Buddha had plenty of advice to offer for
lay persons who want to lead to pious lives in their Samsaric journey.
He made it clear that inner peace or cleansing the mind was the first
step in this endeavour. “The mind is hard to check. It is swift and
wanders at will. To control it is good. A controlled mind is conducive
to happiness.” (Chitta Vagga, The Dhammapada). Thus thoughts of peace
and compassion should emanate from the mind at all times and a Nation
that collectively engages in this exercise will see peace and unity.
In this exercise, it is essential to revive the link between the
village and the temple (and other places of worship). Many of us have
distanced ourselves from places of worship. This Vesak should see a
revival of this age-old link. It is also vital to inculcate moral values
in the younger generation who have embraced the material world and even
the virtual world via the Internet. They are exposed to a high level of
violence through movies and video games from an early age.
Tolerance
Indeed, practising tolerance and compassion as taught by the great
religious leaders will help reduce violence and crime in our society.
Crimes almost always happen due to hatred of some sort and the Buddha’s
immortal words (“Hatred does not cease by hatred, hatred ceases by love
alone”) can heal wounds of the mind and make us better human beings. We
need plenty of love and compassion in our society, not only towards
humans but also towards animals who live in our midst. A love of nature
was one of Buddha’s major traits (He paid a tribute to the very tree
that gave him shelter to attain Enlightenment) and we too should have
the same respect for nature.
“Of all the paths the Eightfold Path is the best; of all the truths
the Four Noble Truths are the best; of all things passionlessness is the
best: of men the Seeing One (the Buddha) is the best.”
(Maggavagga, Dhammapada) |
