Respectfully mark Vesak Day for Buddhists

“VESAK”, the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Bud­dhists around the world. The month of Kason falls in the period of “Visakha zodiac” in Sanskrit, Pali, and Hindi. In Sinhala, the pronunciation is “Vesak”, and following this pronunciation, Westerners refer to the full moon day of Kason as “Vesak Day”. According to the resolution passed at the 54th United Nations General Assembly in 1999, the full moon day of Kason (Buddha Day) was designated as an international public holiday called the “Vesak Universal Holiday”.

The full moon day of Kason shows religiously prominent occurrences, stating that hermit Sumeda, the embryo Buddha, accepted a great prediction of Dipankara Bud­dha to become the Gotama Buddha in the Badda world. Moreover, Prince Siddhatta was born on the full moon day of Kason in 68 Maha Era. The Gotama Buddha-to-be attained the Supreme En­lightenment at the dawn of Kason full moon day in 103 Maha Era. The Gotama Bud­dha attained Parinibbana at the sal garden of King Malla on the full moon day of Kason in 148 Maha Era.

As such, the Kason full moon day was identified as the Buddha Day. Therefore, Buddhists perform merito­rious deeds such as pour­ing water on the Bodhi tree. The act of pouring water is done especially during the month of Kason, when water is scarce, to help keep the Bodhi tree fresh and nour­ished.

In Myanmar, the Full Moon Day of the Kason Wa­ter Pouring Festival is one of the twelve seasonal festivals and, according to stone in­scriptions, it has been celebrated since the Bagan era. Histor­ical records also show that in ancient times, the festival was grandly and splendidly held every year, not only by the king, but also by princes, officials, and the general public both inside and outside the royal capital.

The month of Kason has long been recognized as the hottest month of the year in both historical records and in the present day. Despite the intense heat, devoted Theravāda Buddhists in Myanmar perform acts of merit by pouring cool, clear water on sacred relic shrines and the Great Bodhi Tree as a tribute to the noble qualities of the Buddha. Just as the Great Bodhi Tree becomes refreshed and nourished by this act, it is believed that great merit is accumulated and virtuous qualities are cultivat­ed. As a result, all people – both in the country and around the world—may enjoy peace, serenity, and well-being.