Buddha Jayanti Celebration In India
Buddha Jayanti is a celebration of the Lord Buddha’s life, lesson and teaching. This day is observed by millions of people around the world. This year Buddha Jayanti is celebrated as the 2556th Birth Anniversary of Lord Buddha.
Introduction
Buddha Jayanti is also known as Vesak Day and Buddha Purnima. In India Buddha Jayanti is celebrated on the 1st full moon day of Vaishakha month of Baishakh Purnima. It is an annual festival celebrated as the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. It is an important day for Indian people, the Buddhist Community of the country and across the world.
Significance Of Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima
Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima holds a great significance among Hindus and Buddhism community of India and across the world. This day was celebrated on the full moon day of Vaishakha Month according to the Indian calendar. This year Buddha Jayanti is celebrated on Friday, May 5.
The devotee of Lord Gautama Buddha celebrate this day by reciting the teaching and following the path of Lord Gautama Buddha. According to the Buddhism text, it was believed that Gautama Buddha was born in 563 BCE in Lumbini, Nepal. Lord Buddha died in 483 BCE at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. But according to some texts nobody knows the exact birth, enlightenment and death date of Mahatma Gautama Buddha.
This day is also celebrated as Vesak Day and Buddha Purnima. Lord Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha. His father was a Shakya Clan Sudhodana and his mother was the Koliyan princes named Maya.
Prince Siddhartha left his palace and relatives at the age of 29 to find the answers of his questions about suffering. He went to the forest and after six years of hardship and concentration he attained enlightenment under the shade of Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya.
The day he obtained knowledge or enlightenment was also Baishakha Purnima. On that day Lord Buddha realised that;
Desire is the cause of suffering and destruction of desire brings sorrow and suffering.
Lord Gautama Buddha Lesson After Enlightenment
Lord Buddha started his teaching with 5 disciples at Sarnath ( a heritage on the banks of the Ganges at Banaras). In just 3 months the number of disciples reached sixty. Even many princes, youth, thieves and robbers accepted the discipleship of Lord Buddha.
The disciples of Mahatma Buddha went to every country in the world and spread the mantras of humanisms and Buddhism. Many kings are patronised to Buddhism, Among them Samrat Ashoka is one of them. Buddhism became popular outside India. Everyone accepted this religion regarding caste, colour and gender.
Over the next 45 years, Lord Buddha travelled extensively and spread his thoughts, teaching and path of truths. He began the teaching of the Four Noble Truths & the Eightfold Path to others. After 45 years of teaching truths at the age of 80 he was passed to Nirvana at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh on the day of Baishakh Purnima.
