Editors, Wisdom Quarterly; AnnoyboyPictures (video) annoyboy.lk; BuddhaNet.net
2015 Vesak celebrations in Theravada Buddhist Sri Lanka's "Festival of Lights," Colombo.*
Birth, Awakening, Rest: Happy Vesak Day!
The Buddha's Birthday (Vesak or Vesakha) is the ancient name of the month the Buddha-to-be (Siddhartha) was born, attained enlightenment (bodhi) to become the Buddha or "Awakened One," and passed into final nirvana (parinirvana). All of these happened on the full moon night of the same month, of course in different years.
It is celebrated by Buddhist communities around the world, including Southern California. The Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara in Pasadena and the larger Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara in the Crenshaw district of L.A. (both Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist temple complexes and monasteries) will celebrate Vesak 2016 all day on Saturday, May 21, 2016. Other temples are celebrating throughout the month, including the Thai Dhammakaya International Meditation Center in Azusa, which usually holds the largest and most multicultural celebration. Check local temples for details.
The Significance of Vesak or Buddha Day (BuddhaNet)
Dressed in white for Vesak (Dhammakaya)
When Prince Siddhartha Gautama of the Shakyan (Scythian) clan was born is not known exactly, but it is now generally agreed that he reached enlightenment and began teaching 2,600 years ago when he was 35. He renounced the throne and left home at 29 to undertake a spiritual quest.
Happy Vesak Day (BodhiPunx)
When he reached the goal -- to find the cause of suffering and the way to bring it to a complete end -- he was able to claim to be the Enlightened One (Buddha), set rolling the Dharma (Teaching), and establish the Sangha (the community of enlightened individuals, which is known as the Noble or Arya Sangha, and the community of fully ordained monastics, the Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni Sangha, comprised of monks and nuns).
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Young monastic novices set oil lamps around the Buddha in Sri Lanka (newsinsidelanka).
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*VIDEO: The 2015 annual Vesak Theravada Buddhism Festival of Lights held at Gangaramaya Temple on Beira Lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka -- celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha. Music: "Breathe the Horizon" and "Buddha's Dream." DoP: Lipton Jayawickrama, 2nd Camera: Tharanga Srinath and Saminda Rajapaksa, production manager: Ayesha Dissanayake, directed and edited by: Devinda Fernando. Video production by Annoyboy Pictures (Pvt) Ltd., 36/1 Sujatha Mawatha, Kalubowila, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka (annoyboy.lk)