Buddha Purnima

Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal, according to Buddhist tradition. Buddha’s birthday dates vary yearly in the Gregorian and mainly depend on the lunisolar calendars. Usually, it falls in April or May, but in leap years, it occurs in June. This year 2024, Buddha Purnima is on the 23th of May. On the day of the full moon, at the time of Vesak, the Southeast Asians celebrate the enlightenment and death of Buddha.

Gautam Buddha, also known as Buddha, was a keen and curious wanderer seeking a higher religious purpose. Buddha led a life of begging, meditation, and asceticism; he gained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, India. After that, he wandered through the lower Gigantic-Indo Plain while teaching and building a monastic order. He led a Middle Way to achieve Nirvana, which means freedom from ignorance, craving, rebirth and suffering. Buddha’s teachings are summarised in the Eightfold Path, which talks about how to train a mind that would lead to liberation from samsara in the form of Nirvana through meditation and ethical training like showing kindness towards others, mindfulness, proper meditation (jhana/dhyana).

Many Scholars hesitate to make any claim regarding the history of the Buddha’s life. Most have accepted that Buddha lived, taught and founded a monastic order. The dates of Gautam’s birth and death are not specific. The traditional date for Buddha’s death was 949 BCE in the Eastern Buddhist tradition of China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. On the other hand, according to the Ka-tan system of calculating time in the Kalachakra tradition, in about 833 BCE, Buddha is believed to have died.

Two chronologies in the Buddhist texts have been used to date the lifetime of the Buddha. These include a long chronology and a short chronology.

• According to the chronology, Buddha was born 298 years before the coronation of Ashoka and died 218 years before his coronation. According to the Sri Lankese chronicles, Ashoka was crowned in 326 BCE, which provides the dates for Buddha to be 624 and 544 BCE. These dates are accepted in South-East Asia and Sri Lanka. However, these dates do not match the Greek evidence where Buddha is 566 and ca.
• According to the short chronology, Buddha’s birth is placed 180 years before Ashoka’s coronation and his death 100 years before Ashoka’s coronation. This is through Indian sources, which are translated into Chinese and Tibetan. But following the Greek evidence, Buddha achieved the dates 448 and 368 BCE.

Several teachings and practices are considered essential in Buddhism. This includes the samsara, the six sense bases and the five aggregates, the Middle Way, with the four noble truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

Samsara

According to Buddha, all beings are strengthened with samyojana, which means mental chains, fetters and bonds. These fetters are sankharas (which means formations), kleshas (representing the unwholesome mental state), including the three poisons, and asava (which includes mental defilements like craving for existence, ignorance and sensual pleasures), which perpetuates the samsara. Buddha stated that samsara is beginning without being discoverable. The first point is not detected of beings roaming and wandering on, hindered by ignorance and chained by cravings. Samsara is dictated by karma. The definition of karma differs of Buddha from those of Jains and Brahmins. For Buddha, karma means intention.

The six sense bases and the five aggregates

The six sense bas, also known as (Ayatana), and the five aggregates (skandhas) describe how sensory contact leads to attachment and dukkha(suffering). The six sense bases include eye and sight, ear and sound, nose and odour, tongue and taste, body and touch, and mind and thoughts. Altogether, they create the input from which we make our world “the all”.

The five aggregates, or skandhas, include a form (material image, impression) rupa, sensations (feelings) Vedanta, perceptions samjna, mental activity or formations sankhara, and consciousness vijnana. These 5 form part of Buddhist teachings like the dependent origination and explain how sensory input leads to connection or bondage to samsara.

Dependent Origination

In dependent origination, it is explained how every occurrence or everything that exists depends on certain conditioning factors. In the early texts, it is also said that the origin of Dukkha or suffering is explained through the teachings of dependent origination.

Anatta

Buddha saw his analysis of dependent originalisation as a Middle Way. In his view, people are temporary psycho-physical elements which are anatta without an independent or permanent self. Anatta has two concepts: eternalism, which means some essence exists forever, and annihilationism, which means there is no existence at death.

The Path to Liberation

The Buddha taught a way of training to undo the samyojana, kleshas and asavas and gain liberation, also known as vimutti, mukti or moksha. This path taught by Buddha is reflected in the early texts as a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and mortification of the body.

The Buddhist texts imply that the Buddha promoted a life of homelessness and celibate as this is how to achieve the path of an ideal life. He taught that beggars are supposed to give up all possessions or belongings and to own only a begging bowl and three robes. They were also supposed to rely on for basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing in the wider lay community.

The Buddhist monks and nuns were supposed to beg for their food. They were not allowed to store food for later and were not supposed to eat after noon. Moreover, they were not allowed to use any kind of valuable thing like gold, silver or other.

According to Buddha, there are two types of happiness. First is the joy visible in this life, and the other is the happiness in the next life which means a good rebirth. There are four things that lead to happiness in this life; it includes accomplishment of persistent effort, achievement of protection, good friendship and a balanced living. On the other hand, the necessary things for attaining happiness in the next life require faith in Buddha’s teachings and studies, moral discipline, generosity and wisdom.

The meditation techniques, life teachings, and studies of Buddha guide people to gain a life beyond the materialistic world. This Buddha Purnima let us all try to walk on the path of Buddha’s teachings; even if it is a difficult road, it is not impossible. Cherish the instructions and guidelines of Buddha while celebrating Buddha’s Day.