BUDDHA PURNIMA, VESAK DAY

Why in news?

Vesak is celebrated once a year. This year, it falls on Thursday 7th May.

The date of Vesak changes each year as it take places at the time of the first full moon of the ancient lunar month of Vesakha, which usually falls in May or early June.

Details:

It is a celebration of Buddha’s birthday and, for some Buddhists, marks his enlightenment (when he discovered life’s meaning).

About Gautam Buddha:

1. He was born in Lumbi near Kavilvastu which is now in Nepal.
2. He belongs to the Sakya clan. Suddodhana was his father and Mayadevi was mother.
3. Prajapati Gautami was his foster mother who brought him up after his mother’s death.
4. He married to Yasodhara at the age of 16. Rahul was his son.
5. Three incidents compelled him away from worldly life. I.e. an Old Man; a Diseased Man; a Corpse; and an Ascetic.
6. He left home in search of ‘Truth’ at the age of twenty nine but his seven years of wandering hadn’t given fruitful result.
7. At the age of 35, he got enlightenment under a ‘Bodhi Tree’ after intense penance which called ‘Nirvana’.
8. He delivered his first sermon at Sarnath.
9. He died at Kushinagar when he was at the age of eighty.
10. Sariputta, Moggallanna, Ananda, Kassapa and Upali was the disciples of Buddha.
11. Prasenjit of Kosala, Bimbisara & Ajatasatru of Magadha accepted the Jainism.

Teachings of Buddha:

Buddhism was essentially a congregational religion and the reason for human misery is ignorance- a sort of cosmic ignorance which leads to the delusion of selfhood.

Four Noble Truths of Buddha: 

1. World is full of suffering;
2. Desire causes suffering;
3. When we get rid of Desire, suffering will be removed;
4. Eightfold path will help to win over desire.

Eightfold Path consists of 

1. Right view,
2. Right resolve,
3. Right speech,
4. Right conduct,
5. Right livelihood,
6. Right effort,
7. Right mindfulness and
8. Right concentration.

Condition of Human in their life depends upon their own deeds. Hence, he advocates law of Karma.

He laid great emphasis on the code of practical ethics and the principle of social equality.