Buddhist Festivals And Monastery In India

There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it. All religions have some basic guidelines that define about their morality and behaviour. In Buddhism, the most important rules are the  Five Precepts  and these have been defined by Buddha himself. 1. No Killing- Respect for life  2. No Stealing: Respect for others’ Property  3. No Sexual Misconduct: Respect for our Pure Nature  4. No Lying: Respect for Honesty  5. No Intoxicant: Respect for a Clear Mind No killing : Buddha said,  “Life is dear to all beings ”. “They have the right to live the same as we do.” We should respect all lives and should not kill anything and anybody. Live and allow others to live; one should not slaughter animals as killing ants and mosquitoes are like breaking this principle instantly. We should always respect every creature and remember one thing:  There is no greater Religion than Humanity . Therefore everyone should have a positive ...

Akshaya Tritiya is considered to be the most auspicious day of the entire year. It’s every second is said to be magically lucky. As the legends indicate and suggest the word ‘akshaya’ means ‘eternal’ or never diminishing; similarly it is fruitful for any task. Let’s understand the benefits if Akshaya Tritiya first. 1. Home is filled with prosperity. 2. All the lost money is being retrieved back. 3. Any new business started gets the boom in respective years. 4. Power of intuition to create more wealth. 5. Aspects of the ever growing wealth are being retrieved. Now let’s see what are the rituals this lucky day demands from us to do. Holy Bath Taking a holy bath in any of the Holy rivers is considered an ideal activity for the day it helps one to get rid of all negative vibes. You can see the river banks of the Holy rivers such as the Ganges, Kaveri, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada, Krishna gets flooded with people on this auspicious day. Thanks to ancestors It is mentione...

Akshaya Tritiya which is also known as Akha Teej is one of the major festivals in the month of Baisakhi. It is highly auspicious for  Hindus  as well as  Jains . It falls during Shukla Paksha Tritiya in the month of Vaishakha. The word Akshaya itself means ‘Never diminishing’. This day is considered to be very auspicious as the Sun and the Moon are at the height of their brightness on this day. It is also believed that any task done on this day gives highly positive results. On 2018 it will be observed on  18 th  April  (Wednesday) and this year it is even more auspicious as it falls in conjunction with Rohini Nakshatra. The auspiciousness of this day advises people to start new ventures, invest in something significant like buying real estate or gold, and most importantly rituals like marriage. This day is said to bring in a lot of good luck and prosperity. Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat  = 05:56 to 12:20 Duration  = 6 Hours 23 Mins...

In Buddhism, there are many festivals commemorated by Buddhists throughout the year. These notable festivities celebrate various events in the lives of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and famous teachers. Umpteen fairs, procession and carcades are organised in the name of Buddha annually.  During these occasions people engage themselves in numerous meditations operations and Yoga Programs. They take refugee and follow the precepts/principles taught by Buddha. Ardent Practitioners also sometimes leave the home life to become saints/monks and nuns. Buddha Poornima Buddha Poornima is observed on the full moon night according to Buddhism Calendar in the Hindu Month of Vaisakh. It celebrates the Birth Day of "Gautama Buddha" every year who was the founder of Buddhism Community. Buddha Purnima is popularly known as- Vesak as it falls in the Vaisakha (Baisakh) Month. In the year 2018, It will be remarked on 29th March. . On this eminent day, Buddhists take part in the ceremonial bat...

Once upon a time in a dense forest, there lived a deer whose name was- Banyan. He was so prepossessing and as large as a young uncastrated male horse. He was golden like the sun and his horns glimmered just like silver. His big eyes flickered out with sagacity. He was famed as a King of Deer in the forest and looked over a herd of 500 deer. In the same forest, another flock of deer was watched over by another king of deer- named Branch. He was also sharp and golden in color.  Although, in mammoth grass of the deep forest, the two herds lived in tranquillity. One day, the emperor of the city of Ghats- Varanasi (Benaras) went for a hunt and to explore the picturesque green forest where the throng of deer resided. After taking a look, the king murmured: This is an absolute beguiling place for the hunting. He also declared that along with his thousands of hunters, he stopped himself upon the two herds of deer. Without giving a second thought he notched an arrow in his bow and n...

• The ‘Buddha Charita’ of ‘Asvaghosha’ illustrates the complete biography of Buddha. However, modern scholars criticize some of the data narrated by ‘Asvaghosha’. • The “Fat Buddha” (Laughing Buddha) is not Gautam Buddha. As he was not so roly- poly and plump. Much delineation portrays the ‘round shape Buddha’ just because it was a symbol of happiness in the east. • It is believed that- one of the Buddha’s teeth still exists. It was plucked out from his mouth during his cremation ceremony and moved (illegally) into the Country- Sri Lanka where it is still present. • There is no contemporary and authentic account of the life of Gautama Buddha except a few data provided by the Buddhist Sutras. The`Sutta Nipata’ and the ‘Jatakas’ throw some scattered and scanty light on Buddha’s life.  • He focussed on self- restraints mainly in all the things, such as- -he used to survive without food on a daily basis -he concentrated walking hundreds of miles to spread the philosop...

Buddhist symbols remind us of Buddha's remarkable sermonizing. Inside a Buddha’s Temple- the sanctum-sanctorum is termed as a shrine or a Buddha Hall. Just opposite to this divine room, an altar is placed. There are many beautiful things on the altar. Here we are mentioning some of them.  Buddha Images Peep surmise that Buddhists worship idols and the deities. However, this is untrue; they offer flowers and bow to Buddha in veneration and never worship the idols and the images. By doing so, they pay reverence towards his moralities and are inspired to become like him. Buddha images are not necessary, but they are helpful. The most important thing is to follow the Buddha's teachings.  There are many different kinds of Bodhisattva images that are formulated which showcase different Buddhas' traits. An idol of the Buddha with his hand resting in his lap reminds us to develop calmness within ourselves. However, a statue with the Buddha's right hand touching th...

Being an illustrious rhetorician, Buddha narrated his first speech in the Deer Park. From that moment, he chose the perplexing symbol of the wheel with its famous eight spokes to represent the Noble Eightfold Path. His preachings are like a WHEEL which goes round and round that never stops. Though the wheel has a central point- the only point which is fixed and immovable just like-Nirvana.  These eight discourses on the wheel symbolize the eight parts of the Noble Eightfold Path which portray- Just as every spoke is needed for the wheel to keep turning, we need to follow each step of the path.  1.   Right View . The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha--with wisdom and compassion. 2. Right Thought.  We are what we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters. 3. Right Speech.  By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone. 4. Right Conduct.  No...

Unfurl of the Buddhism in a place called- KOSALA. The foundation of the Buddhist Community has framed in Maghada, however, the comprehensive evolution seized in ‘Kosala’. Buddha lived for 21 years in Kosala and preached his umpteen sermons from the Jatavana vihara in Kosala. In Kosala, most of the population were Brahmins and thus Brahmanism has a strong foothold in this country. Buddha labored very hard, almost his level best to secure position and to leave his footprints on to that place. A well-off devotee of Buddha purchased the ‘Jatavana monastery’ for his stay. A king of Kosala named- Prasenjit and his Queen along with two of his sisters became staunch disciples. Buddha also visited Kapilavastu and he commenced his family members to his religious creeds. Buddha helped and thus converted a prominent courtesan ‘Ambapali’ to his faith and conviction. At Vaishali, Gautama permitted and agreed to the formation of the order of nuns (Bhikshuni samgha). Morals and Speeches of Bud...

Early Life Of Gautam Budhha Gautam Buddha was born in 566 B.C. at a place named- Lumbinivana in the Sakya country, which is situated in a region of Nepalese Terai. His father- Suddhodana was a Kshatriya monarch and popular as a chief of the Sakya dynasty. On Later dates, Legends entitled him with a tag- ‘a son of a prestigious king’. However, Sakyas always had a republican constitution. Therefore, it is believed that his father was presumably an appointed chief. Maya- who was Gautama’s mother died after the seven days of his birth. People reckon that Buddha lived his life with peace and repose. He earned an extra-ordinary competence and skills in archery and other imposing ethics and nobility. When he was sixteen, he got married to Yashodhara (Gopa) who was a sister of Devadutta. A son, named- Rahula was born to him at the age of 29. Abandonment of the ease Life Gautama examined and scrutinized on the fundamental questions of life as the years passed. History says tha...

Buddha Poornima is observed on the full moon day in the month of April or May annually. It celebrates the birth anniversary, death anniversary (Nirvana) and enlightenment of the Lord Buddha on a single day. Buddha Purnima celebration has special importance for the Buddhists followers as the founder of the Buddhism was born, died and attained refinement. On this notable day, Buddhists across the globe celebrate by following some set of the rituals and the celebrations. Let’s Take a look- - Buddhism Followers begin the rituals by visiting holy places such as- Monasteries and Buddha Temples nearby where they discern a longer- full-length Buddhist sutra. - They firmly dressed up in white clothes and offer prayers to the lord with purest of feelings in their hearts. - Vegetarian food is served to poverty-stricken and especially on this day, non-vegetarian food is not consumed. People prefer ‘Kheer’ to serve as Prasada to practitioners. - Devotees get themselves involved in ...

The most notable and distinguished Festival remarked by the Buddhist community is- BUDDHA POORNIMA . Buddha Poornima is observed on the full moon night according to Buddhism Calendar in the Hindu Month of Vaisakh. It celebrates the Birth Day of "Gautama Buddha" every year who was the founder of Buddhism Community. He was famed as the spiritual preacher who shows the path of Enlightenment, Righteousness, and Nirvana to his followers and Practitioners. Buddha Purnima is popularly known as- Vesak as it falls in the Vaisakha (Baisakh) Month. In the year 2018, It will be remarked on 30th April (Monday). On this eminent day, Buddhists take part in the ceremonial bathing of the Buddha and pour rose water on an idol of baby Siddhartha. This symbolizes purifying one's thoughts and actions. They visit the nearby Buddha Temples to pay homage to Buddha. Vegetarian meals are provided for all; and captive animals, such as birds and turtles are set free. This festival brings in jo...