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Mirror Magazine

Vesak in a changing world
By Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne and Vidushi Seneviratne
It is Vesak once again and time for pandals, buckets, Vesak lanterns and hundreds and thousands of lights. Vesak is a celebration of the life of Lord Buddha and a day of religious importance to Buddhists around the world.

But Vesak is no longer what it used to be. According to Ven. Kirinde Assaji Thera of the Gangaramaya Temple, people still do observe Sil, give alms to the poor and needy but he feels that unfortunately Valentine's Day and other such commercially profitable introductions have succeeded in giving Vesak a back seat in our calendars.

If one were to take a walk down a road on this day - one would be sure to see every house lit up with varied home made lanterns and lights. But that was a few years ago. Now each house in a neighborhood hangs up similar lanterns, simply because they are all purchased from the same shop down the road.

Why has such a situation arisen? According to William, who sells Vesak lanterns down Havelock Road, there is not enough awareness amongthe younger generation about the whole concept of Vesak. "The younger generation is born lazy, they have no interest whatsoever in religion. They should at least this one day try to involve themselves in religious activities. How many children would you see observing Sil? They don't even know the meaning of it," he says.

Premasiri Peiris, another vendor had a different view on the situation. He feels that a lack of time compels people to buy lanterns off the road. He also said that children prefer to buy the frame and paste the paper by themselves as making the frame is a complicated operation.

But some others find time to make Vesak special. Take the Leo Club of Colombo Central whose members range from the ages of 12 to 27. According to the assistant secretary of the club, the members are going to Pothuvil to donate stationery to two schools. The visit has been organised to coincide with the Vesak weekend.

Subhashini Abhayawansa, a twenty-year-old student of management who has observed Sil for Vesak every year feels that most people have drifted away from religion and that is the main cause for the decline in the interest that surrounds Vesak. She says that her parents never asked her to observe Sil but that she does so simply because she feels that it is important to at least on that day to try to make a difference and enhance herself spiritually.

"I usually observe Sil with two of my friends. When I look around I hardly ever see any young faces, it's always the elderly ladies who usually observe Sil."At the end of Sil, she feels completely at peace. And though she finds it difficult to observe Sil every month she somehow makes time for Vesak. It makes me a different person and I enjoy that."

Like Subhashini, many others belonging to the younger generation involve themselves in activities connected to Vesak. Children participate in giving alms to those who have observed Sil and others help to put up pandals and spread the message of Buddha. Commercialisation may have invaded our world, but the message of Vesak can never be forgotten.

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