The significance of Vesak
 The full moon day of May is a special day for Buddhists around the world.
It is called Vesak, a word that comes from the language spoken a long time ago
in India.
On Vesak Day, Buddhists remember and reflect on the Birth of the Buddha, His
Enlightenment and the day He passed away and attained Parinirvana.
| Birth
 |
The Buddha was born earlier than expected in Lumbini, when His mother was
travelling to her parents’ house to have her baby.
He was named Siddhartha and was the pampered prince of a small kingdom. As He
grew up, He was tired of His life of luxury and worried about the suffering of
the common people. One day, Prince Siddhartha left the palace to live in the
forest to find salvation from suffering.
He sought happiness by His own efforts in meditation to help others. |
| Enlightenment
 |
Many years later, after a long period of meditation, He found the cause and the
cure of all our suffering. His teaching is called the Dhamma.
He realised that the cause of all suffering is greed and that the nature of all
things is to change all the time. The way out of suffering is to be aware of
this and not hold on to anything that is changeable. He also advised people to
develop mindfulness and kindness through meditation and reflection.
Thus, He reached a state of profound peace and contentment. Since then, the
prince has been known as the Buddha, which means the one who is fully awake.
|
| Parinirvana
 |
The Buddha wanted to share his experience with everybody so that they could also
attain enlightenment. He spent the rest of His life travelling and teaching. He
had many followers who became bhikkhus and bhikkunis. The Buddha passed away at
the age of 80 and attained Parinirvana, ending rebirth and suffering. |
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