Buddha and the full moon

The full moon in May is a special day for many Buddhists, as the Vesak day is celebrated worldwide. According to tradition, Buddha was born on full moon in May, later became enlightened and also passed away on this day. This is how this day is honoured in countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and also in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and many more. And above all of this, the full moon shines.

In 1999, United Nations confirmed the international recognition of the day of Vesak and for this to be the most sacred day of Buddhists, following the request of an international Buddhist conference. The memorandum of the UN’s meeting explains:

[…] Recognizing that the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May each year is the day most sacred to Buddhists, who commemorate, on that day, the birth of the Buddha, his attainment of enlightenment and his passing away […]

So it seems to be certain that Buddha was born on a full moon. A completely harmonious image – the full moon stands for wholeness and completion.

Vesak is the reason to commemorate Buddha with festivities all over the world. Thousands of candles are being lit, flowers are given and meditations are held for world peace. To honour the special moment of birth, standing Buddha figures are placed on altars, whereby water is poured onto the figure, in the sense of a cleansing ritual.

We would like to wish all Buddhists a celebratory and peaceful day, surrounded by full moon light. Everyone who is part of a different world religion, might be able to find some cause for thought in some of Buddhas sentences. We, for example, liked this sentence: “The greatest prayer is patience”. Who could not take some practice in this?