Vesak Day Q&A at Birken, Canada (video)

Vesak: The Buddha's Birthday: Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Ajahn Sona

(May, 2021) Vesak is the celebration of the birth, enlightenment, and final nirvana of the Buddha.

• [EDITOR'S NOTE: It is incorrect to say the Buddha's "death," as many people do, because a fully enlightened being (arhat) has overcome the cycle death and rebirth altogether. Whereas other people who pass on from this world simply die to be reborn elsewhere in many kinds of different worlds (see the 31 Planes of Existence), arhats are not reborn, for they have "overcome all that can upset" (Edward Conze translation of the Heart Sutra) and all substrata of rebirth. It may seem a minor point, but it is the whole point of the Buddhist definition of "liberation" (moksha). It also shows no consideration for ultimate truth of anatta, the impersonal nature of all things. The Buddha did not come into existence and go out of existence, as we customarily say when speaking in conventional terms. Ignorance comes into being and goes out with the arising of enlightenment or, more correctly, "awakening." Of course, few people are interested in ultimate terms, so it is enough to say that he passed into final nirvana (parinibbana).]

Vesak is celebrated by Buddhists on the full moon day in May. On this auspicious day, Western Buddhist monk Ajahn Sona offers a Dhamma (Dharma) reflection and answers questions from around the world. Index:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:13 - Vesak Dhamma Talk
• 24:07 - Q&A begins
• 24:17 - What makes the Buddha different as a religious figure; why are reflections on the Buddha's birth, Enlightenment, and passing helpful to us now?
• 31:50 - Many sculptures of the Buddha show him with a hand gesture of touching the earth. What is the significance of this?
• 36:21 - I have both positive and negative feelings around bowing. Why is it that it is appropriate in Asian culture, but seems strange in Western culture?
• 41:42 - My family does not connect to meditation but would connect to the greater Buddhist message. What does it mean to celebrate the Buddha in our culture, in this time?
• 49:45 - Is there increased opportunity for one to grow in Dhamma practice as they age?
• 55:05 - Can you speak to the development of patience?
• 58:37 - If Buddhism is about happiness, why did the Buddha choose to frame his teaching around suffering?
• 1:01:50 - Are there skillful ways to face the possibilities of sickness, death, and loss?

Ajahn Sona's new book is Life is a Near Death Experience: Skills for Illness, Aging, Dying & Loss, available on Amazon in Canada and throughout the world.

Ajahn Sona Podcast

• Apple bit.ly/AppleAjSona
• Spotify bit.ly/SpotifyAjSona
• Podbean bit.ly/PodbeanAjSona

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