May 26, 2021, the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar
Vesak Day, also known as "Buddha's Auspicious Day"
At the same time, it commemorates the buddha's birth, enlightenment, and nirvana
The origin of the Vesak Festival
Vesak Day, also known as World Buddha Day. Vesak, meaning "full moon" in Sanskrit, symbolizes the Buddha's state of perfection of wisdom, blissful wisdom, purity, equality and light in Sri Lankan Sinhalese.
According to southern Buddhist texts, buddhas were born, enlightened, and nirvana on the full moon day of May, so Buddhists call this "three periods of the same celebration" festival the Wessay Festival. Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam and other countries list this day (or days) as a public holiday. Every year on this day, the local Buddhists hold a grand celebration, and the monastery hangs a prayer flag, chants the scriptures, and carries out Buddhist activities.
The Day of Vesak is recognized by the United Nations
In 1950, at its inaugural session in Sri Lanka, the World Buddhist Association "requested government leaders to take action for the presence of a majority or minority of Buddhists in the country to designate the full moon day of May as a public holiday in memory of the Buddha, who is known throughout the world as one of the greatest interests of humanity." ”
In 1954, the World Buddhist Fellowship held its third meeting in Yangon, the capital of Burma, and agreed to designate Vesak Day as World Buddha Day. This festival will illuminate the world with the wisdom of the Buddha's self-awareness and perfection, and by virtue of this festival, it will carry forward the Buddha's teachings on compassion and equality and advocate peace.
"In times of growing intolerance and inequality, the Buddha's message of non-violence and service to others is more relevant than ever." — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
At the 54th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1999, representatives of 16 countries signed a letter requesting "international recognition of Vesak Day".
The letter states: "The Buddha's teachings, and his message of compassion, peace, and kindness, have touched millions of people around the world. "Countless people around the world follow the Buddha's teachings and commemorate the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and nirvana on Vesak." In the same year, Greece, Norway, Turkey, the United States and other countries also joined the initiative. In December 1999, in a newsletter published by the United Nations, it was stated that the draft initiative on Vesak had been adopted without a vote.
At this point, Vesak was officially designated as the United Nations Day of Vesak (undv) and advocated an annual global celebration.
Buddha's Auspicious Day - the initiative of Zhao Puchu's residents
In 1987, after Zhao Pu, then president of the Buddhist Association of China, returned to Thailand after visiting Thailand, he proposed: "Yu people thought that since the year of Shakyamuni's death had been recognized by the whole world, the day of his birth might as well be unified, but the habits of the masses were difficult to change for a while, and it seemed that another prayer meeting could be held on the seventh day after the traditional Han Buddhist Buddha's birthday festival, that is, on the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, and celebrated with Buddhists from all over the world." ”
On May 4, 1990, the Buddhist Association of China issued the "Circular on Holding the Buddha Auspicious Day Festival": It is hoped that all Chinese Buddhist temples across the country will actively respond to the initiative of Chairman Zhao Puchu to hold the Buddha Auspicious Day Festival on the full moon day of the full moon of the Gregorian calendar every year to commemorate the three periods of the buddha's birth, enlightenment and nirvana, and to reflect the solemnity and consistency of the Dharma and enhance the friendship and unity among Buddhists of all ethnic groups in various places.
Since 2004, the delegation of the Buddhist Association of China has actively participated in the celebration of the United Nations Day of Vesak, working with Buddhists all over the world to commemorate the grace of the Buddha.
Today, the auspicious day of the Buddha, Vesak Day, is not only a day for Buddhists around the world to commemorate the Buddha and thank the Buddha, but also a bridge to push Chinese Buddhist culture to the countries along the "Belt and Road" and help create a better future for the "Belt and Road".
Settle down
The establishment of the settlement system began in ancient Indian Brahmanism and was later adopted by Buddhism. This is due to the fact that India, located in the subtropical region, the climate is hot and rainy, the summer rainy season is as long as three months, the insects and ants reproduce rapidly, the grass and trees grow luxuriantly, and the monks step on the new shoots of insects and grasses when they go out to entrust the bowl to the outside world, attracting ridicule from the world, so they stipulate that they should avoid going out during the rainy season, live together, and cultivate with peace of mind, which is called "summer settlement". In the Chang'ahan Sutra, volume 2, The Sutra of Travel, volume 39 of the Collected Sutras of the Buddha, and so on, the deeds of the Buddha and his disciples living in peace are recorded. The Sutras of the Sangha, etc., list the places where the Buddha sat in the summer during the forty-five years.
Advocating a peaceful residence can also benefit monks and laymen, so that people's hearts will move from impetuousness to clarification, and society will change from turmoil to tranquility. Not only does Buddhism keep pace with the times, but it can also add a new page to modern Buddhism.
During the Buddha's lifetime, disciples can be divided into two categories, one is that they often follow the disciples, or because they are not yet independent, they must always study with the Buddha; the other is that the bodhisattva disciples, who have achieved success in their own cultivation, can hold one side and promote the Dharma, but still have to constantly seek the Buddha's path, so they need to participate in the Xia Anju, live with the Buddha for three months, hear the Buddha's sayings, and exchange practice experience with the same samsars. During this period, it is strictly forbidden to go out for no reason to prevent centrifugal scattering. As an important act of the Sangha during the year, the settlement of the Sangha is one of the fundamental contents of the Buddhist study life. "Settling down is the best time of year for monks to concentrate on their studies, and to settle down in one place will promote and help each other's learning and practice.
Although the Chinese housing system was inherited from India, it was not completely followed, but there were some variations. According to the actual conditions of climate and customs and folk customs, Gude generally takes April 15 to July 15 as the settlement period every year, and this period is in the summer of China, so it is called Summer Settlement, also known as Rain Settlement, or Summer, Sitting Summer, Sitting Wax, Knotting, etc.
The consummation of settlement is called xiexia, dismantling or settling in. According to book 43 of the Law of The Four Divisions, "Kalachakra", at the end of the dwelling one should be self-indulgent. On the last night of the ninetieth day of settlement, the fifteenth of July, everyone still gathered to examine whether each person had violated the precepts in words and deeds during the three-month period, and to point out each other's mistakes. If there are those who have violated the vows, they are required to repent in public, and the fifteenth day of the month is called the Day of Monkhood or the Day of Buddha's Joy.
Ancient Chinese jungle law temples have always paid attention to living in peace. Especially before Matsu created the jungle and baizhang established the qing rules, most of the Zen monks lived in the vinaya, and the Zen gate sat in meditation every day for three hundred and sixty-five days, so it can be said that every day was a peaceful residence. Even today, the life of ordinary monasteries, daily reading of tibetan scriptures, meditation and chanting of the Buddha, is essentially a kind of peaceful living and practicing life.
The nineties settled down in the summer, deepening the cultivation of the monks themselves and promoting the development of group life. The enactment of the laws of abstinence and self-indulgence also provided an opportunity for the monks to improve their legal system. The practice of living in peace has also gradually changed the way of life of monks, which is more conducive to the development of monks, the development of study and cultivation, and the promotion of going out.
The Dharma Sutra says: "Those who hold the two hundred and fifty precepts have attained arhats, Buddhas, and nirvanas in this lifetime." "Be good at holding the Vinaya and make the Dharma dwell for a long time," the Buddha did not say falsely.
Buddha's auspicious day and Vesak Day - Remember the Teacher together
The auspicious day of the Buddha and vesake is a worldwide festival, which is the perfect combination of wisdom and perfection, conveying the Buddha's spirit of compassion and harmony, embodying Buddhism's compassionate care for the well-being of all mankind, and promoting world peace and healthy development. Buddhists in many places hold grand celebrations during this important annual festival. Through the celebrations one after another, allowing the people to approach the Buddha in an auspicious and joyful atmosphere is also a gratitude to the Buddha for his appearance in the world.
Image 丨 Synthesized from Xishuangbanna General Buddhist Temple, Wutaishan Buddhism, and the Internet
Text 丨 Synthesized from Hangzhou Lingyin Temple, Wutai Mountain Buddhism
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