Wesak 2009: Buddha's birthday celebrated around the world this weekend

Buddhist devotees water Bodhi Tree to commemorate
the birthday of Buddha (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

The Buddha’s birthday is this weekend, and Buddhists around the world will be marking the occasion with celebrations ranging from quiet meditation and charitable donations, to elaborate and joyful rituals such as setting caged birds free to symbolize liberation from suffering, lighting oil lamps to symbolize enlightenment, singing, chanting, a float procession, and other festivities. In Coral Springs, the Pranic Healing Center of South Florida will be hosting the first annual South Florida Wesak Festival tonight at 9:00, and free childcare is available starting at 8:30. Wesak celebrations are also taking place in Bangkok, Cambodia, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Scotland, and many other countries around the world.

Also known as Vesak or “Buddha Purnima” or “Buddha Day,” Buddhists celebrate Wesak during the full moon at this time of year. It is the most important event of the Buddhist calendar. An official press release from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific greets everyone on Wesak and includes this paragraph:

The financial crisis, climate change, pandemics, terrorism and other international threats prove that the fates of all people are linked. A problem in one country can quickly turn into a worldwide threat. I constantly remind leaders that we must act together or we will fail individually. I tell them that we must join forces in solidarity. Not only is this the right thing to do; it is in our best interests.

Many books have been written about the Buddha’s Teachings, and I don't think I could do the subject justice with a short summary in this article. However, here are some brief quotes from The Teaching of Buddha:

• If avarice can be removed, human suffering will come to an end.
• It is simply the mind clouded over by impure desires, and impervious to wisdom, that obstinately persists in thinking of “me” and “mine.”
• Because of their [lack of wisdom], all people are always thinking wrong thoughts and always losing the right viewpoint and, clinging to their egos, they take wrong actions.
• The important thing in following the path to Enlightenment is to avoid being caught and entangled in any extreme, that is, always to follow the Middle Way.
• The wise man learns to meet the changing circumstances of life with an equitable spirit, being neither elated by success nor depressed by failure.

I wish you all joy and liberation on Wesak 2009!