"Heaven above and earth beneath,
I am the Honoured One, the One who liberates all who suffer in the
Three Realms."
The Significance of Vesak - Buddha Day
The significance of Vesak lies with the Buddha and his universal
peace message to mankind.
As we recall the Buddha and his Enlightenment, we are immediately
reminded of the unique and most profound knowledge and insight
which arose in him on the night of his Enlightenment. This
coincided with three important events which took place,
corresponding to the three watches or periods of the night.
During the first watch of the night, when his mind was calm, clear
and purified, light arose in him, knowledge and insight arose. He
saw his previous lives, at first one, then two, three up to five,
then multiples of them .. . ten, twenty, thirty to fifty. Then 100,
1000 and so on.... As he went on with his practice, during the
second watch of the night, he saw how beings die and are reborn,
depending on their Karma, how they disappear and reappear from one
form to another, from one plane of existence to another. Then
during the final watch of the night, he saw the arising and
cessation of all phenomena, mental and physical. He saw how things
arose dependent on causes and conditions. This led him to perceive
the arising and cessation of suffering and all forms of
unsatisfactoriness paving the way for the eradication of all taints
of cravings. With the complete cessation of craving, his mind was
completely liberated. He attained to Full Enlightenment. The
realisation dawned in him together with all psychic powers.
This wisdom and light that flashed and radiated under the historic
Bodhi Tree at Buddha Gaya in the district of Bihar in Northern
India, more than 2500 years ago, is of great significance to human
destiny. It illuminated the way by which mankind could cross, from
a world of superstition, or hatred and fear, to a new world of
light, of true love and happiness.
The heart of the Teachings of the Buddha is contained in the
teachings of the Four Noble Truths, namely,
The Noble Truth of Dukkha or suffering
The Origin or Cause of suffering
The End or Cessation of suffering
the Path which leads to the cessation of all sufferings
The First Noble Truth is the Truth of Dukkha which has been
generally translated as 'suffering'. But the term Dukkha, which
represents the Buddha's view of life and the world, has a deeper
philosophical meaning. Birth, old age, sickness and death are
universal. All beings are subject to this unsatisfactoriness.
Separation from beloved ones and pleasant conditions, association
with unpleasant persons and conditions, and not getting what one
desires - these are also sources of suffering and
unsatisfactoriness. The Buddha summarises Dukkha in what is known
as the Five Grasping Aggregates.
Herein, lies the deeper philosophical meaning of Dukkha for it
encompasses the whole state of being or existence.
Our life or the whole process of living is seen as a flux of energy
comprising of the Five aggregates, namely the Aggregate of Form or
the Physical process, Feeling, Perception, Mental Formation, and
Consciousness. These are usually classified as mental and physical
processes, which are constantly in a state of flux or change.
When we train our minds to observe the functioning of mental and
physical processes we will realise the true nature of our lives. We
will see how it is subject to change and unsatisfactoriness. And as
such, there is no real substance or entity or Self which we can
cling to as 'I', 'my' or 'mine'.
When we become aware of the unsatisfactory nature of life, we would
naturally want to get out from such a state. It is at this point
that we begin to seriously question ourselves about the meaning and
purpose of life. This will lead us to seek the Truth with regards
to the true nature of existence and the knowledge to overcome
unsatisfactoriness.
From the Buddhist point of view, therefore, the purpose of life is
to put an end to suffering and all other forms of
unsatisfactoriness - to realise peace and real happiness. Such is
the significance of the understanding and the realisation of the
First Noble Truth.
The Second Noble Truth explains the Origin or Cause of suffering.
Tanha or craving is the universal cause of suffering. It includes
not only desire for sensual pleasures, wealth and power, but also
attachment to ideas', views, opinions, concepts, and beliefs. It is
the lust for flesh, the lust for continued existence (or
eternalism) in the sensual realms of existence, as well as the
realms of form and the formless realms. And there is also the lust
and craving for non-existence (or nihilism). These are all
different Forms of selfishness, desiring things for oneself, even
at the expense of others.
