Buddhist Xmas: VESAK, May Full Moon (2021)

Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha is a buddha because of a special enlightenment called samma-sam-bodhi.

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The 2021 Vesak is a full blood-red super moon.

VESAK refers to the name of an ancient month in proto-India, a month when 26 centuries ago three very special things happened.

The word signifies those three things: the birthday, great awakening, and passing into final nirvana of Prince Siddhartha Gautama who later became the Buddha, "The Enlightened One."

The famous "photo" of the Buddha...is Italian art.

Every month (moonth, lunation) has four weekly lunar phases, and on each of these observant Buddhists take up the Eight Precepts for 24 hours.

They visit Buddhist temples, meditation centers, nunneries, or monasteries (viharas) to meditate, chant or listen to the Buddha's teaching, called the Dharma, and put it into practice.

This "sabbath" day -- which originated long before the Abrahamic faiths Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- is called the uposatha.

In all the worlds in 10,000 directions there are no better beings than supremely-enlightened ones.

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One such uposatha a year is the most special of all. It is so big that it is playfully referred to as "Buddhist Xmas." It's the largest Buddhist celebration of the year. Happy Vesak, May 26, 2021!

• Wesak (Merriam-Webster Dictionary): The Buddhist New Year festival celebrating the birthday [mahabodhi and parinirvana] of the Buddha at the May full moon.

Uposatha is Buddhist lunar phase observance.