Buddha Poornima

Kaushal Kotwal
Lord Buddha, one of the greatest spiritual teachers of mankind  was very rightly called the Light of Asia
Buddha Poornima marks birthday as well as death anniversary of Lord Buddha. Buddha  Poornima or Buddha Jayanti is the greatest festival of Buddhists all over the world.  It is believed that Lord Buddha  was born and left the world on the same date after living for 80 years. Buddha Poornima is celebrated on the full moon day of the Vaishakha. Buddha   sacrificed his life of luxury and wandered many places in search of truth. Finally under a banyan tree he is said to have meditated for years and was enlightened there. This tree is in Bodhgaya, in india. This auspicious day is celebrated everywhere and in Bodhgaya also. Pilgrims from all around the world come on this occasion. Prayers and sermons are held and procession as are taken out fire that day. Also group meditation is done and people worshipping statue of lord Buddha fill the environment with complete devotion and dedication. The Mahabodhi temple wears a festive and elegant look that day. The temples are decorated  with flags and flowers. People recite the preaching of Lord Buddha on this auspicious day at many places.  People reaffirm their belief in the 5 principles which is called panchsheel. These are  not to take life, not to steal, not to tell lie, not to consume liquor or any other intoxicants and not to be disloyal. Buddha taught people that all the sufferings of this world are simply because of our attachment to these things. It is our desires that lead us to sufferings and so we have the 8 fold path to follow  i.e., right belief, right conduct, right thinking, right word, right intention, right meditation, right efforts and right living.  He preached that if anyone follows this path he will be away from common sufferings of life and living. He made people understand the real balance between extravagance and asceticism as well as luxury and simplicity. If one goes through the preaching of Lord Buddha they will find they are extremely useful in the present day life, giving complete peace of mind and helps many persons to have peace and harmony in life. The main thing is that people need to purify their minds and thoughts today and if this happens it will bring peace and harmony in the entire world.
Sarnath in Varanasi holds an important place in Buddhism as Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath. On the occasion of Buddha  Jayanti, a large fair is held at Sarnath and the relics of the Buddha are taken out for public display in a procession.  Sarnath attracts large Buddhist crowds as Buddhists offer prayers in different Buddhist temples on this day. Monks and devotees meditate and worship the statue of Gautam Buddha. They also lit the candles, offer flowers to statue of Lord Buddha.
Buddha  Jayanti/Buddh Poornima is also celebrated in  Jammu and Kashmir State with great enthusiasm especially in Leh Ladakh area. Men, women, children and Buddhist monks gather at Buddhist religious temples and read the sermons of Lord Buddha throughout the day.  Many foreign devotees also travel to this place to attend the celebrations. Rich and poor alike are attracted by the simplicity of  Lord Buddha’s teachings and his emphasis on complete equality of all. A notion antithetical to the existing Hindu caste system. The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka espoused the Buddhist religion in the 3rd century B.C and helped in spreading it far and wide. Sarnath and Bodhgaya are the two of the most important pilgrimage centres for the Buddhists.
Buddh Poornima is considered as a very auspicious day in India and in many countries of the world. It is said that there are millions of followers of Buddha in India and in many countries around the world and many monks are attached religiously with Lord  Gautam Buddha. These monks have dedicated their whole life in the preaching of lord Buddha’s teachings.

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