Celebrating Vesak: Marking the dawn of a new era
Sujatha offering milk rice (above- painting by Henry Dharmasena) and the Parinibbana of Lord Buddha (left- painting by Solias Mendis at the Kelaniya temple)
Vesak the thrice-blessed day commemorating the Birth, Enlightenment, and Passing Away of Prince Siddhartha (later Gotama Buddha), will be celebrated in the first week of May this year. Vesak Poya falls on Thursday, May 7.Temple bells will ring in the morning indicating the dawn of Vesak Poya. Most Buddhists, clad in white, will hope to go to the temple to observe ‘atasil’ -eight precepts – in place of the usual ‘pan sil’ -five precepts, and spend the day meditating and listening to Dhamma sermons.
In virtually every Buddhist home the Buddhist flag will fly and ‘pahan’ – coconut oil lamps or candles – will be lit in the night as a mark of respect to the Buddha.
The significance of Vesak is summed up thus in numerous publications:
On the night before Vesak Full Moon day, Prince Siddhartha, then a Bodhisatva (one who is on the path towards Buddhahood) saw five dreams.
The first: The earth became a bed. The Himalayan mountain became a pillow. Sleeping on the bed, the Bodhisatva’s left hand was in the ocean in the east. The left hand was in the ocean in the west. The feet were spread out towards the ocean in the south.
The second: A red blade of grass sprang from the Bodhisatva’s navel and grew into a huge tree covering the sky.
The third: White worms with black heads covered him from the feet up to the knees.
The fourth: Four hawks flew in from the four corners, fell near his feet and turned white.
The fifth: He walks through a huge mound of excreta yet not touching the dirt.
The Bodhisatva got up and started thinking about the dreams. The first dream was an omen about Buddhahood. The second indicated that he would comprehend the Eight-fold Path and preach to the world. The third showed that there would be a lot of devotees. The fourth was to indicate that people from four castes would be ordained and reach Nibbana. The last was an omen that he would lead a pure life.
He understood what was indicated through the dreams. Early in the morning after taking a wash in the river he came and sat under the Ajapal Nuga tree.
Sujatha brings milk rice
Sujatha, the daughter of the leader of Senani village who had brought milk rice in a gold bowl offered it to him. It was to fulfil an earlier wish she had made to the deity occupying the tree about a baby. She had now got the child.
“My wish is fulfilled. May yours too be fulfilled,” she prayed.
The Bodhisatva consumed the milk rice. He placed the gold bowl on the Neranjara river and wished that if he was to attain Buddhahood, it would move up-stream. The bowl slowly started moving up-stream. Thus auspicious signs had begun to appear from the previous night.
The bowl reached the dwelling of the Naaga king. It joined the other bowls sent by the earlier Buddhas of this aeon – Kakusanda, Konagama and Kassapa. The Naga king declared that a Buddha would beseen that day.
Under the tree
In the evening the Buddha moved towards the tree. Brahmin Siththiya offered him a handful of grass which he spread and sat upon with the firm determination that he would not get up from there until he attained Buddhahood even if his skin peeled off, the sinews ruptured, and flesh and blood was spread all over.
From the heavens God Sakra blew the ‘vijayuttara’ horn. God Panchasikha played the ‘velupandu’ violin. God Suyama started fanning. So did God Santhusitha. Maha Brahma appeared above the Bodhisatva’s head. The naaga god Maha Kala sang ballads with 84,000 ‘naaga’ damsels. Numerous gods and celestial women began sprinkling flowers. A beautiful environment was created.
Maara Vasavarti was angry that Siddhartha Gotama had sat down to attain Buddhahood. He laid various traps to discourage him. He came with his retinue to scare him. He came on the back of his elephant ‘girimekhalaa’ and created a mighty wind. A huge shower with thunder was created. The Bodhisatva stayed calm amidst all the commotion. The Maara was further angered. He created several types of showers – a lightning rocky shower, a shower of weapons, a shower of sand, a shower of burning ash. All the showers turned into showers of flowers before the Bodhisatva. Disappointed with his failure to harm him, Maara came riding the elephant and aimed his powerful weapon at him. That too turned into a canopy over the Bodhisatva’s head.
Maara shouted that the ‘vajrasana’ – the seat on which the Bodhisatva was seated, did not belong to him.”It belongs to me. This earth bears testimony.” Hearing his shouting the earth trembled. In fear Maara’s army fled. The gods, the brahmas and the naagas started singing. Showers of flowers fell.
Defeating the evils of Maara
He also defeated the ten evils of Maara – sensuality, discontent, thirst, craving, sloth and torpor, fear, doubt, ingratitude, gains and prosperity through ill-gotten means.
The sun went down. At the first watch of the night, he attained the first, second, third and fourth Jhanas by practising the ‘aanapanasathi’ (mindfulness that goes along with the breath) meditation. Then he acquired the knowledge as regards ‘The Reminiscence of Past Births’ (‘Pubbe-nivasaanussati Nana’). At mid watch of the night, he acquired the knowledge on ‘The Perception of the Disappearing and Reappearing of Beings (Cutupapata Nana).Thereafter, he acquired the knowledge for the Comprehension of the Cessation of Corruptions (Aasavakkaya Nana). By now it was the third watch of the night. Vesak day was dawning.
The whole universe was turned into one big festival. The hells lit up. Rivers began to flow up-stream. Those who did not have anything to listen to, suddenly found things they could listen to. Those who could not see found they had things to see. The lame could walk. Those in the jails were no longer in chains. A new era had dawned.
By then Siddhartha Gotama was 35 years old.