Bathing The Buddha on Wesak Day

[Eva Libre]

 

 

 

The Significance of Bathing the Buddha
Around two thousand and five hundred years ago, located on wide plains on the north bank of the Rapti river in the southwest of what is now Nepal, there was an ancient kingdom called Kapilavatthu. At that time this area was part of India. The ruler, King Shuddhodana of the Shakya clan, and his wife, Queen Mahamaya, were the parents of Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

In the Spring of 623 BCE, while enjoying the beautiful scenery and walking under flowering sara trees at Lumbini Garden, Queen Mahamaya felt her birth pangs. As she held on to a branch of a sara tree, she soon gave birth to a Prince out of the right side of her torso as depicted in the bas relief on the left. During that time, celestial beings offered flowers, celestial kings offered clothes, the heavens played wonderful music, and nine dragons emitted water to bathe the Prince. After His birth, the Prince immediately walked and spoke. He took seven steps. Seven lotus blossoms sprung forth under each place where he stepped. With His right hand pointing towards the sky and the left hand pointing towards the ground as in the photo of the statue on the right, He said, "I am the only Honored one in the heavens and on earth." He was known as Prince Siddhartha. The Prince became troubled by the scenes of birth, aging, sickness, death, and the sufferings of ordinary people. He decided to leave home and become a practitioner at the age of twenty-nine. After becoming a buddha, He continued expounding dharma for forty-five years. At the age of eighty, lying between two sala trees, He entered Nirvana.

 

 

 

 

On the holy birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha, followers who participate in the Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha make offerings to establish their karmic conditions with the buddhas and also to wholeheartedly beseech the empowerment of the buddhas and to pray for peace and well being. While bathing the image of the Buddha with auspicious water, they vow to cultivate themselves in attaining the purity of their three karmas (body, speech, and mind) in the past, present, and future. They should receive the great and remarkable teachings and guidance of the buddhas and uphold the correct belief. They must do this without holding to any superstitious beliefs. In this way, they can correspond to the great and compassionate vows of the buddhas and attain accomplishment with the Bodhi state without regression. They should carry out the cultivation of a bodhisattva life after life until they attain the supreme enlightenment of a buddha.

 

 

 

[Eva Libre]

 

At this Fullmoon Day do all Buddhas Awaken:

2011 May 17 Vesak Day celebrates birth, Enlightenment, and passing away
of the Buddha Gotama. Rejoice! Keep clean, calm, cool, clever, and caring...
About this Buddhist Vesak Festival: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak

 

This May full moon also celebrates the Buddha's third visit to Sri Lanka in
the eighth year after his Enlightenment where he journeyed to Kelaniya on
the invitation of the Nāga King Maniakkhika (Mahavamsa i,72ff.).
The day also celebrates the crowning of king Devānampiyatissa (Mhv.Xi.42),
and the laying of the foundation stone of the Mahā Stūpa (Mhv.Xxix.1)

 

 

[Eva Libre]

  

Please Remember:

At this very May full moon in year 528 BC the Blessed Buddha awakened
by completely perfect and utterly unsurpassable self-Enlightenment!
At that time a girl named Sujata Senani lived in Uruvela. When adult she
prayed before a certain Banyan tree, that she might get a good husband
equal to herself in caste & that her firstborn may be a son. Her prayer was
successful. Since indeed it did happen. At the full moon day of the Wesak
month, she rose at early dawn and milked the cows. As soon as new buckets
were placed under the cows, the milk poured spontaneously in streams all by
itself! Seeing this miracle, she knew something special was happening!
That same night the Future Buddha dreamt 5 dreams making him conclude:
"Surely, truly, without any doubt, today I will reach perfect Enlightenment!"
His 5 colored radiance illuminated the whole tree. Then Sujata came and
offered the cooked milk rice into the hands of this Great Being.

 

 

Read more at :

 

http://what-buddha-said.net/various/Newest_File.htm

  

[Eva Libre]

 

Wesak

May 17, 2011

 

 

  

Wesak is the celebration of Buddha's birth & enlightenment & death. According to ancient beliefs, the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and left Earthly incarnation under the Full Moon of Taurus. The Buddha returns at this time each year to bring a new light to the world. Spiritual leaders gather in Wesak Valley, a mythic place high in the Himalayas.

Wesak is the time in which the Christ gathers the entire Spiritual Hierarchy together in meditation to invoke the healing forces of SHAMBALLA. The Buddha, representing those forces, appears and blesses humanity. The ceremony of Wesak is held in the actual Wesak Valley in the Himalayas. A vast crowd assembles in the valley, in front of the great rock table at the end of the valley. The Buddha is the expression of the Wisdom of God, the embodiment of light and the indicator of divine purpose. The Christ represents God unending Love for humanity. The Full Moon is like a pitcher pouring out a healing elixir. The celestial dispensation continues for three days following the day of the Full Moon. This year Wesak is on Tuesday May 17, 2011.

 

[Béatrice LATEUR LACROIX]

Thnaks for so many and precious informationsa bout tje differnt spitualities, Eva.

Compassion, Love and Peace for you and all Beings.