Also known as: Buddha Jayanti, Vesak, Vaishakha Purnima · Observed: Across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Buddhist Asia
Significance of Buddha Purnima
Buddha Purnima, known across Asia as Vesak, is the holiest day of the Buddhist calendar. According to Theravada tradition, three great events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama took place on the full moon of Vaishakha: his birth in the Lumbini grove, his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, and his final passing, the mahaparinirvana, at Kushinagar. The day is therefore a celebration of the whole life and teaching of the Buddha, and an occasion for renewed commitment to compassion, ethical conduct and meditation.
In the Hindu tradition, many Puranic lists count the Buddha as an avatara of Vishnu, and Vaishakha Purnima is also a significant full moon for holy bathing and charity. Some traditions observe Kurma Jayanti, the tortoise avatara, on the same day.
The Life of the Buddha
Siddhartha was born a prince of the Shakya clan, son of King Shuddhodana and Queen Mayadevi. Raised in luxury, he encountered an old man, a sick man, a corpse and a wandering ascetic, and was moved to seek an end to suffering. Leaving the palace, he practised severe austerities for years before adopting the middle way between indulgence and self-mortification. Seated beneath a pipal tree at Bodh Gaya on the full moon night of Vaishakha, he attained awakening and became the Buddha. He gave his first sermon at Sarnath and taught for decades across the Gangetic plain, before passing away at Kushinagar, again on a Vaishakha full moon.
How Buddha Purnima Is Celebrated
Devotees visit viharas and stupas dressed in white, offer flowers, incense and lamps, and observe the eight precepts for the day. Monks chant the suttas and give discourses. At Bodh Gaya, pilgrims from many countries gather at the Mahabodhi temple and the Bodhi tree, which is decorated with prayer flags and watered with milk and scented water. Sarnath holds processions of relics, and in Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Darjeeling, monasteries hold colourful celebrations. In Sri Lanka, streets are lit with lanterns and roadside stalls called dansal give free food and drink.
Acts of generosity are central: feeding the poor, freeing caged birds, and avoiding meat and harming living beings. Kheer, a sweet rice pudding, is commonly prepared, recalling the bowl of milk rice offered to the Buddha by Sujata before his enlightenment.
How the Date Is Determined
In India, Buddha Purnima is kept on Vaishakha Purnima, the full moon tithi of the lunar month Vaishakha, chosen as the day on which Purnima prevails, usually at moonrise or across the main part of the day. Other Buddhist countries use their own lunisolar calendars, so Vesak in Sri Lanka, Thailand or Myanmar may occasionally fall a month apart from the Indian date when an intercalary month is inserted differently.
Rituals and customs
- Visiting viharas, stupas and the Mahabodhi temple
- Offering flowers, lamps and incense to the Buddha
- Observing the eight precepts and meditation
- Watering the Bodhi tree with milk and scented water
- Feeding the needy and giving alms
- Preparing kheer in memory of Sujata's offering