Midwest Buddhist Meditation Center

Visãkha Pujã Day
A Buddhist Holy Day International Holy Day

Objectives:

• To present the readers about Visãkha Pujã Day
• To present the readers about an importance of Visãkga Pujã Day
• To present the readers about Buddhist culture
• To cultivate morality and virtues in the mind of the readers

Consequences:

• The readers can give correct meaning of Visãkha Pujã.
• The readers know and understand an importance of Visãkha Pujã Day.
• The readers have learned about Buddhist culture and tradition.
• The readers can explain the three principles of Buddhism correctly. 

Visãkha Pujã Day

        In this issue of Vihãradham Magazine we would like to present you the article we used to present in Visãkha Pujã last year, but we would like to present you more updating article to confront to the present time. Buddha Vihãra, The Midwest Buddhist Meditation Center, has been working with interfaith since before the Center has been established in 1992 as Midwest Buddhist Association and upgrading to the Midwest Buddhist Meditation Center in 1996. We tried to make known to the people what the Buddha thought in many ways. Vihãradham Magazine is the one way of the tools.

         Here we may see the following conversation between Thãpanee and her teacher in Buddhist Sunday school of Wat Dhammãram, Chicago. This article is approved as useful and suitable to be presented to the young students in the western world. And also at the present time students in high schools in the States study World Religious classes. This article may beneficial for them too to have mutual understanding especially for our young generation. It goes like this.  Today is Sunday. Thãpanee did not go to her regular school.  She came to Buddhist Sunday school to study Thai and Buddhism.  Today her instructor teaches her and her friends about Visãkha Pujã Day.

The following is a conversation between Thãpanee and her teacher.

Thãpanee: “What is Visãkha Pujã, sir?”

Teacher:  “It means paying homage to the Buddha on the full Moon day of the sixth lunar month.”

Thãpanee: “Why do we do this Pujã, sir?”

Teacher:  “We do this Pujã to commemorate the birth of the Buddha, His Enlightenment, and his passing away, Nibbãna, on the full Moon day of  this month. This is why we call this day Visãkha Pujã Day.” (Visãkha means sixth, the full name is Visãkha Masa means the sixth lunar Month)  

Thãpanee: “Please tell me more, sir.”

Teacher:   “It commemorates three events of the Buddha's own life:  The Buddha was born on the full moon day of the sixth lunar Month in the beautiful garden of Lumbini Garden of Kapilavasthu city of Nepal, it is located between Kapilavasthu city and Devadaha city, southern of Nepal, Nepalese and Indian Boarder today. Nepal is a small country located between Tibet and India, Himalaya valley.  It is a very peaceful country. Many westerners visit this country every year. The Buddha realized enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month thirty-five years after his birth. The Buddha passed away on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month under the Sãla trees in the forest near Kusinãrã city, forty-five years after realizing enlightenment, at the age of eighty. These three events happened on the same day.  This day is known as the day of coincidence of the Birth, Enlightenment, and Death of the Buddha.”

Thãpanee: May I ask you something out of the subject?

Teacher:  Surely.

Thãpanee: What does the word novice mean sir?

Teacher: The word “Novice” is referred to the young monk who is not fully ordained as a Monk, and he is not yet twenty years of age, he observes ten precepts. The Monk is referred to one who is twenty years of age and got higher ordination from the Sangha, the Community of the Monks, he observes 227 precepts.

Thãpanee: Thank you very much, Sir. Then asked further, in which Countries is Visãkha Pujã observed by Buddhists?

Teacher: Visãkha Pujã is observed by Buddhists in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, England, the Soviet Union, the United States of America, Canada and all European countries. At the present, Visakha Puja Day became International Holy Day declared by the United Nations in the year 2000.

Thãpanee: What do Buddhists do on Visãkha Pujã Day in evening, sir?

Teacher: They assemble on the monastery grounds, bringing with them flowers, lighting candles and incenses. They repeat words of homage recited by a monk. Then they march in procession around the Uposatha hall, (Main Buddha Hall). They-keep their right side towards the hall as a sign of respect and circle the hall three times. While walking, they remember the virtues of the Buddha (Founder of Buddhism), the Dhamma (teaching of the Buddha) and the Sangha(Community of Noble Disciples of the Buddha). This is what we observe at Wat Dhammaram, the Thai Buddhist Temple of Chicago every year on the full moon day of May. And all Buddhist Temples in the United States of America observe this Puja. We all Buddhist from all nations observe International Visãkha Pujã Day in Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angelis and other big cities.

Thãpanee: What should we do in daily life as Buddhists, sir?

Teacher: The Buddha taught us three things to do in daily life namely:

1. Not to do bad deed,     
2. To do good deeds and help others to do the same, and
3. To meditate to purify the mind from impurities.

            These are the basic teachings of the Buddha. We should follow and practice them. We can, then, have real happiness. We perform Visãkha Pujã to remind ourselves of our responsibility in practicing the three principles and to be kind to all living beings. If it is possible you may introduce the teachings of the Buddha to your friends in your schools too, they can learn some things good from our tradition, they can benefit from what the Buddha taught by practicing Buddha teaching they may be kind and compassionate, they may nor harm and kill others as they do now. Muslims are fighting with Christians, and Christians are fighting with Muslims Even Muslims also are fighting with Muslims like what is going on in Iraq today, it is very sad.

Thãpanee: Yes, Sir. We will do. Please give some details of the three Principles of Buddhism.

Teacher: They are as follows:

1. Not to do evil, that means to abstain from killing, from lying, from stealing, from sexual misconduct and adultery, and from drinking intoxicant drinks and harmful drugs.
2. To do good deeds. It means to be sincere, be truthful, be honest, be mindful, and to develop loving kindness and compassion more and more in our daily life.   
3. To purify the mind means to train and refine the mind so it may be free from hatred, selfish-desire and delusion. We do this by concentration, thinking of good things and then trying to do good deeds for ourselves and other friends.

Thãpanee: Thank you very much, sir. My classmates in my school always fight each other because they look different some black, some white, some yellow and some of them in senior classes smoke too.  

Teacher: That is bad, you do not fallow them, do what we discussed today. Do come back again next Sunday. We may have a chance to see each other and you may have time to learn more.

Thapanee: Yes, Sir, I will.

Teacher: Okay. Not to forget to finish your home works to night.

Thapanee: Yes, Sir. Good Bye.

NOTE:  Teacher may prepare and provide study cards about the three events and places where these events happened.  A card would be given to each student at random. Each student would be asked to explain their understanding about the places and ideas on the card.