Buddha
Jayanti is widely celebrated across the world on full moon day with ritual
prayers; meditation and sermon on the life of Gautam the Buddha, according to
the English Calendar Gautam the Buddha became 2557 years old on 14th May, 2014.
This day has great significance because it is thrice blessed day, on this day
Gautam the Buddha was born, enlightened and left his physical body. Those
countries which follow Buddhism, celebrate full moon day as a public holiday in
honor to Buddha, the decision made to celebrate Buddha birthday was formalized
at the first conference of the world fellowship of Buddhist held in Shri Lanka
in 1950. Buddha Jayanti is a very special day so on this day monasteries and
Boddhi tree are beautifully decorated with colorful flags, candle and incense
are offered in prayer, scented water is sprinkled in the root of Boddhi tree
and reciting Buddhist scripture is common practice.
Out
of four important Buddhist pilgrims, one falls in Lumbini, Nepal where Gautam
the Buddha was born and other three falls in India; Bodh-Gaya where he achieve
enlightenment, Saratnath where he gave his first sermon after enlightened and
Kushinagar where he left his physical body at the age of 80. There is only 9%
Buddhist in Nepal out of total population (CBS-2011) while India has 0.8%
(2001) only, and interesting part is that we are debating on the right birth
place of Buddha without any shame. The world knows that Buddha was born in
Nepal while India is preaching contrary to pollute the established truth, it
must be long term strategy of India to misguide the upcoming generation; the
fact is that, the power has always dominated the historical truth. It is our
poor mentalities to bind such a liberator in man made political
boundary, enlightened master are asset of whole humanity. It is our misfortune
that we are not able to rightly grasp the Buddha teaching otherwise why
there is big gap in our national population. We must not forget that the
world’s largest Buddhist populated country is Thailand where there are 95% of
its total population are Buddhist, like wise Cambodia has 90 %, Myanmar 88%,
Bhutan 75%, Sri Lanka 70 %, Tibet 65%, Laos 60%, Vietnam 55%, Japan 50%, Macau
45%, Taiwan 43%. Presently, Buddhism is becoming very much popular among
European and American due to its openness, non-violence and scientific for the
modern people. Buddhism was not able flourish immensely in India and Nepal as
it flourishes in other county because of similarity in-between Hindu and
Buddhism teaching.
Buddha
accepted many followers in his Sangha without any discrimination on the basis
of caste, color, gender and geographical boundary. The upper caste believed
that accepting lower caste and women in a Sangha may disrupt the existing order
in society but Buddha did not care. In the beginning Buddha was little bit
confused so he refused his foster mother Maha Prajapti saying that it was not
yet time for women to become nuns. Maha Prajapati took revolutionary step by
shaving her head; putting on orange robs of monk with fifty other women and she
went again to the Buddha, the very revolutionary incident forces Buddha to
reconsider his word and agree to ordinate women as a nun. That incident was the
most revolutionary idea of that time. Buddha believes that male and female has
an equal capacity for Buddha hood. Since then Buddhism open to all, weather
rich or poor, men or women, lower cast or upper without any boundary of Nation.
According
to the legend, it is believe that Sidhartha Gautam was born in 563 BC, fully
awakened on the night of full moon in Lumbini Nepal near the present border of
Northern India from the womb of Queen Maya Devi and father King Sudrodhana.
King Sudrodhana was the ruler of small feudal Kingdom of Sakya Clan in
Kapilvastu, Nepal. During Buddha’s birth day celebration, a sage named Asita, a
psychic reader travelled to Kapilavastu and announced that the child would
either become a great King or a sage by examining baby Siddhartha birth marks.
King Sudrodhana wanted to make his son successor of his kingdom but the
prediction of sage made him worried. Kind Sudrodhana provided all possible
luxury to the Siddhartha Gautama so he will not discontent and chose the path
of sage in future, trained the athletic skill at the age of 7 and schooled in
the Hindu faith as he was born in Hindu family, married to Yashodhara at the
age of 16 and had son named Rahul.
One
occasion, Sidhartha Gautam was out of his palace to see his subject with his
charioteer Channa, on the way he saw an old man bent and trembling, second sick
man suffering from disease, third funeral procession and a corpse and on the
fourth he saw a wandering monk. The very incident made him discontent and
brought significant change in his life, on the night of 29th birth day; the
young prince renounced the luxurious life and left his sleeping wife and son
Rahul in search of truth. Siddhartha started to live ascetic life to practice
Yogic mediation with Master Alara Kalama and Yoga with Master Udaka Ramaptta.
Shiddhartha Gautam mastered both teaching and left both masters for further
quest though each of them try to make him their successor. Buddha did his best
for enlightenment, for six years, Siddhartha Gautama starved and punished his
body. He became so weak and said that he was nearly drowned while having bath
in Narmada River. Seeing the weak Siddhartha, a girl named Sujata offer a bowl
of milk, Buddha realized that without food one can do nothing. Five fellow
traveler of Siddhartha Gautam left him alone when they found Siddhartha’s
changing attitude of hard life penance, journey started alone and he determined
not to move until and unless found the answer of his sought. One the night of
full moon, under the Boddhi tree in Bodh-Gaya, Siddhartha Gautam attained enlightenment,
mind became clear and clam and understood the cycle of birth, death and the
wheel of life.
After
the enlightenment Gautam the Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath, near the
Hindu and Jain pilgrimage site of Varasani in Uttar pradesh, India, the basic
concepts of his insight called the Four Noble Truths. First is, The truth of
suffering (Dukkha,) Second is, The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya),
Third is, The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha), and the Fourth is,
The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Margga). Further Buddha
explained his Eightfold Path after the four noble truths they are Right
Understanding, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood,
Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
He
was 35 years old at that time, after that for the next forty five years, until
his death he pursued his life mission. Buddha travel across India and Nepal to
give his Dharma teaching. The three Jewels of Buddhism is Buddham Saranam Gachhami,
Dharmam Saranam Gacchami and Sangham Saranam Gachhami. It means, “I go to the
shelter of Buddha, I go to the shelter of Dharma and I go to the shelter of
Sangha”. The final word of the Buddha before living the physical body were,
“All component things decay, work on your own salvation with diligence”.
By Giri Bahadur Sunar
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