Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 (Vesak) means the worship of the Buddha on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month. It usually falls in May. In the case of a year with Adhikam\u0101sa (a year with an extra eighth lunar period) the Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 Day falls on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month.
\nVis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 is one of the most important days in Buddhism because of three important incidents i.e. the birth, the enlightenment, and the passing away of the Buddha. These three incidents miraculously fall on the same month and date. Each year on the Vesak full moon, throughout the world, Buddhist monks and laymen gather together to perform the worship in a very special way and to recollect the wisdom, purity, and compassion of the Buddha.<\/p>\n
The Buddha was a king by birth. His clan name was Gotama. He was born in the Sakya kingdom, eighty years before the Buddhist Era, at Lumbin\u012b Park (now called Rummindei, in Nepal) in the Middle Country (Madhyama Prade\u015ba, located between Kapilavastu, capital of the Sakya Kingdom, and Devadaha, capital of the Koliya Kingdom, on Friday, the Vesak full moon in the year of the dog.
\nPrince Siddhattha (the Buddha\u2019s personal name) was the son of King Suddhodana and Queen Sirimah\u0101m\u0101y\u0101. Slightly before his birthday, a very pregnant Queen Sirimah\u0101m\u0101y\u0101 wanted to pay a visit to Devadaha which was her native country. In the morning of the Vesak full moon, the Queen left Kapilavastu on a visit to Devadaha. Approaching a lovely park of Sal trees called Lumbin\u012b, located between the two capitals but nearer to Devadaha, the Queen started contractions and gave birth to a son when she arrived at a Sal tree. When the Kings of Kapilavastu and Devadaha learned of this, they were very happy and arranged a procession to welcome the Queen and her baby back to Kapilavastu.
\n <\/p>\n
Prince Siddhattha was brought up in the midst of luxury, led the happy life of a privileged youth and married at the age of 16 to Princess Yasodhar\u0101 or Bimb\u0101 who bore him a son, R\u0101hula. He discontented and took on the life of a wandering ascetic at the bank of the Anom\u0101 River. He was then 29.
\nPrince Siddhattha studied the mystic practices of the foremost Brahmin ascetics and realized that such practices were not the way to enlightenment. He went on his own way applying the reflective thought of conscious meditation to a rational simple life of moderation.
\nAt the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment at Uruvelasenanigama subdistrict, Magadha State (nowadays, located in the area of Buddha Gaya, Bihar State, India) on Wednesday, the Vesak full moon of May, the year of the cock, forty five years before the Buddhist Era.
\nThe Dharma discovered by the Buddha was Ariyasacca or the Four Noble Truths, namely:<\/p>\n
These four are called the Noble Truths.
\nAfter having attained Enlightenment, the Buddha wandered from place to place teaching his discoveries to people who are accessible to instruction, helping large numbers of them achieve various levels of spiritual attainment. He sent his followers to teach Buddhism in capitals, cities, and upcountry, until Buddhism was firmly established and widely spread.<\/p>\n
The Buddha passed away on Tuesday, the Vesak full moon in the year of the small snake under the two Sal trees in the Sala Grove of the Mallas in Kusin\u0101r\u0101, capital of the Malla State (nowadays located in Kusinagara of Uttaraprade\u015ba, India) at the age of eighty.
\nThe ceremony of the rituals on Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 Day had been continuously observed in Jamb\u016bd\u012bpa or India, the motherland of Buddhism, for a long time before Buddhism spread to Thailand and Sri Lanka. There, the Vis\u0101kha worship has been continually observed to the present day.
\nIn Thailand, Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 observance began during the Sukhothai period (around the 13th century) because of the close religious relations between Thailand and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka monks came to teach Buddhism in Thailand and were highly respected. Thai monks also went to study Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is believed that in Thailand the Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 observances started during the Sukhothai period and had been introduced by monks.
\nIn the book of the Royal Twelve-Month Rituals, written by King Rama V (C.E. 1853- 1910) of the Chakri Dynasty, the Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 observance was said to have been revived in the Ratanakosin period in the year of the ox, B.E. 2360 (C.E. 1817), in the reign of King Rama II. Under the advice of Somdejphrasangharaja Mee (the Supreme Patriarch) the King revived the Vis\u0101kha celebration.
\nHis Majesty King Prabuddhaleudlanaphalai (King Rama II) declared the commemoration of the Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 through a Royal Decree. The King, himself observing the eight precepts, enjoined abstention from killing and the consumption of alcohol for three days. During those days, there were bright lights, flowers, joss sticks and candles, offerings as well as fireworks to celebrate the Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 day. In addition, people made a triple circumambulation around the Uposatha hall or a place of worship and listened to sermons. They also made merit, offered food to the monks, donated things to the poor, released animals and decorated their houses with lights and lamp. These rituals have been observed ever since on the Vesak full moon day.<\/p>\n
*Thai words.
\nThe most important things are making merits, giving donations, keeping the precepts and practicing meditation.<\/p>\n
On December 15, 1999, the United Nations (an international organization of countries created to promote world peace and cooperation) has unanimously resolved to declare the Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 Day (Vesak Day) as an International Day. This declaration has brought lots of joy to the worldwide Buddhists including Thais and the Thai Government. Regarding this, the public sector, Sangha, and Thai people all have held the Buddhist Promotion Week in the Vesak festival throughout the country.
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 Day Vis\u0101khap\u016bj\u0101 (Vesak) means the worship of the Buddha on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month. It usually falls in May. In the case of a year with Adhikam\u0101sa (a year…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99003,"featured_media":8935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[60,56,59],"tags":[17],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8934"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99003"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watnawamin.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}