VESAK DAY
Three NotableHappenings of Buddha: Birth, Enlightenment and Demise
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The Day of Vesak marks the birth, the Enlightenment and the demise of the Buddha. His birth heralded man's deliverance from suffering, His enlightenment was the discovery of the Truth notably the Four Noble truths and the Law of Dependent Origination. His demise was a wake-up for the Right Mindfulness.
The three major events in the life of the Buddha signal the birth of Buddhism, a great phenomenon in the history of mankind. For this reason many Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Laos observe the day.
The commemoration of the day of Vesak by Buddhists everywhere in the world aims to worship and honor the Compassion, the Wisdom and the Purity of the Buddha who taught humanity to be kind and tolerant towards each other, qualities which foster world peace.
In November 1998, at the International Buddhist Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, all the member countries unanimously expressed the intention to gain international Recognition for the Day of Vesak, a symbol of the birth of Buddhism.
United Nations representatives of the following Buddhist countries : Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, proposed to the UN General Assembly to adopt the resolution for the International Recognition of the day of Vesak.
On 15 December 1999, the Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly at its 54th session considered the agenda item 174 and adopted the draft resolution for the International Recognition of the Day of Vesak and for the appropriate arrangements for its observance at the UN Headquarters and other offices of the UN. 34 countries sponsored the draft resolution.
Since the year 2000, on that most auspicious day of the full-moon in the sixth lunar month of the Day of Vesak, Buddhist countries have joined in the commemorative event at the UN Headquarters. Sri Lanka took the lead to coordinate the event in 2000 and 2001, followed by Myanmar in 2002, India in 2003. Thailand had the honor of hosting the event in 2004.
WHAT PEOPLE DO ON VESAK DAY
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The celebration on Vesak Day will include the practices of Giving, Virtue and Cultivation and the doing of good and meritorious deeds. Virtue is observed by reaffirming commitment to the moral precepts. Cultivation can include chanting, meditation and listening to sermons.
click here to view white dresses Conventionally, devout Buddhists will be politely dressed in whiteand attend their local temples.
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click here for SangKhaThan
Giving usually involves bringing food to offer and share, as well as supplies for the temple such as a set of SangKhaThanwhich contains necessary stuff for a monk to use indaily life.