Report on Buddha Purnima Celebrations - 23rd May, 2005

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Buddha Purnima - 23rd May, 2005

The day of Vaisakh Purnima is considered most sacred by Buddhists all over the

world. This day is significant for three reasons. It was on this day that

Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born as Prince Siddhartha at

Lumbini in Nepal in 560 B.C. It is also the day when He attained enlightenment

at Gaya in India, after years of search and enquiry into the causes and remedy

for sorrow in the world. Thereafter, Siddhartha came to be known as Buddha, or

the Enlightened one. He preached that desires are at the root of all sorrow and

hence advocated the path of right conduct and the right use of senses as the way

to enlightenment. He attained Nirvana (Unity with the Absolute) in 480 B.C.,

again on the day of Vaisakh Purnima. This auspicious day is observed as Buddha

Purnima with reverence and piety by believers in the Far East

countries and in Sri Lanka and India as well. The Buddha Purnima celebrations at

Brindavan (Bhagawan's ashram at Whitefield, Bangalore) this year was jointly

organized by devotees from Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Taiwan. On the morning of

23rd May, Bhagawan granted Darshan in the Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall, with a

procession of temple dancers from Sri Lanka welcoming Him into the hall.

Thereafter, there were bhajans, with devotees from Sri Lanka leading the

singing. In the afternoon, three distinguished members of the Sai family from

Sri Lanka addressed the gathering. The first speaker was Colonel Jayasuriya,

deputy leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Colonel

Jayasuriya observed that the precepts of Non-violence and Peace that were

preached by Lord Buddha more than 2500 years ago are now being rejuvenated and

propagated all over the world by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Commenting on

the present situation of terror and turmoil prevalent in various parts of the

world, he prayed to Bhagawan that the world needed Him in these troubled times.

He offered his gratitude to Bhagawan for undertaking the laudable task of

reforming young minds and guiding them towards leading a life dedicated to

service of society and adherence to the five human values. Sri Munasinghe, the

Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, who spoke next, said that devotees of

Bhagawan must be grateful to Him, for, when the world is being torn asunder by

hatred and violence, they are able to experience such happiness and peace in

His Divine Presence. Ms. Mala Sabaratnam, a prominent business leader in Sri

Lanka, narrated how Bhagawan had purged her heart of hatred and filled it with

love and understanding for her fellow beings. She recalled the words from the

Dhammapada preached by Lord Buddha, "Hatred cannot be appeased by hatred, but

by Love", and said that this very same teaching was now ingrained in her heart

by the grace of Lord Sai.

After the talks by the distinguished guests, Bhagawan, in His munificence,

responded to the prayers of the devotees and granted His Divine Message. He

said that God is one, though He may called by different names. We must not

limit Him to the physical form, but realize that Allah, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha

are all manifestations of the same Divine principle. He dwelt on the

significance of self enquiry and said that every man, when he is born, cries

"Koham", (Who am I?). This enquiry must persist until he attains the

realization "Soham" (I am That). After Bhagawan's Discourse, the venue shifted

to the Sai Krishan Kalyana Mantapam adjacent to the Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall,

where devotees were treated to a dazzling cultural feast, the Dalada Maligawa

Perahara. The Dalada Maligawa Perahara is a traditional pageant that is

performed in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka, to commemorate the installation of

the holy tooth relic of Lord Gautama Buddha in the temple of Dalada Maligawa in

Kandy. The ceremony is a very elaborate one with vigorous dances to the

accompaniment of a variety of percussion instruments. Every year, the pageant

that welcomed the tooth relic into Kandy is ceremoniously re-enacted. The

ceremony in its present form dates back to circa 1750 A.D. This dance ceremony

was performed at the Kalyana Mantapam thrilling one and all with its colour

and vibrancy. At the end of the performance, Bhagawan blessed all the artistes

and permitted them to stand for photographs with Him. The ceremonies drew to a

close with Arati being offered to Bhagawan. Thereafter, Bhagawan retired to His

Trayee Brindavan residence. Jai Sai Ram! Source:

http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/buddha_purnima_05_report.htm

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