Visakha Puja:
Celebration of the Day of Vesak
By Prof. Dr. Phra Dharmakosajarn
Rector, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University
Bangkok, Thailand
Definition
Visakha Puja, or the Day of Vesak, is the festival celebrating the birth,
enlightenment and parinibbana (passing away) of the Lord Buddha. It falls on the full
moon day of the month of Visakha or Vesak, the sixth lunar month, (which usually
falls during the period May in the Gregorian calendar).
Significance
According to the Theravada tradition, the three most important events in the
life of the Buddha – his birth, his achievement of enlightenment and his entry into of
parinibbana – all occurred on the full moon day of Visakha. Aspects of the Dharma
relating to the birth, enlightenment and parinibbana of the Buddha include gratitude,
the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness.
Historical Life of the Buddha
The Buddha was born in Lumbini Park, between the cities Kapilavastu and
Devadaha of the Sakya Kingdom, in present – day Nepal, on the morning of Friday,
the fifteenth waxing day of the sixth lunar month, 623 BCE, 80 years before the
beginning of the Buddhist Era. He exchanged the household life for that of an
ascetic and after much strenuous effort attained full enlightenment at Uruvela in the
kingdom of Magadha, present – day Bodhgaya, India, on the morning of Wednesday,
the fifteenth waxing day of the sixth lunar month, 45 years before beginning of the
Buddhist Era. After his enlightenment, he taught those who were able to receive his
teaching and countless men and women achieved enlightenment. The Buddha
achieved parinibbana, that is, he passed from this world, at the age of 80 on
Tuesday, the fifteenth waxing day of the sixth lunar month in the Sala Park of the
Malla near the town of Kusinara in the Malla Kingdom, present day Kushinagar, Uttar
Pradesh, India. His parinibbana marks the beginning of the Buddhist Era, 543 years
before the beginning of the Common Era.

The Celebration of the Day of Vesak in Thailand
In Thailand, the Day of Vesak was first celebrated during the Sukhothai
period (1249 – 1438 CE). It is believed to have been introduced from Sri Lanka
where the festival, according to the Mahavamsa chronicle, was instituted the
celebration of Vesak day twenty – four times (Mahavesakhapuja ca catuvisati garayi).
In the Sukhothai period, Thailand had a very close religious connection with
Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka monks came to Sukhothai to propagate Buddhism and brought
with them the practice of Visakha Puja, the Day of Vesak festival. The following is
how the Nangnoppamat, a treatise on the tradition of Loi Krathong, describes the
festival of the Day of Vesak:
“On Visakha Puja Day, the King, his officials of both the inner court and outer
court, as well as the people of Sukhothai from every district and village cleaned and
decorated the city of Sukhothai with flowers and incense, lighting the city with torches
so that the whole city was bright and beautiful. The festival worshiping the Triple
Gem continued three days and three nights. The King and royal family observed the
precepts and performed many meritorious deeds. In the evening, the King and royal
family, with the officials from both the inner and outer courts, went to the royal
monastery to circumambulate the chief Buddha image. The people of Sukhothai
encouraged each other to observe the precepts, listened to homilies, made offerings
to individual monks and to the Sangha as a whole, offered meals to the monks and
novices, and gave charity to the poor, the orphans, the helpless, the aged and the
disabled. Some collected money to purchase four and two legged animals, turtles
and fish to save their lives by setting them free, in the belief that such actions would
prolong their own lives”.
Although no descriptions of Day of Vesak festivals have been found from the
Ayutthaya (1350 – 1767 CE), Thonburi (1767 – 1782 CE) or early Ratanakosin
(Bangkok) periods, the royal chronicles record that King Rama II (1809 – 1824 CE),
promoted a revival of the Day of Vesak festival throughout the kingdom, encouraging
all his subjects to celebrate Visakha Puja by performing meritorious deeds as a way
to prolong life, bring happiness and avoid suffering, sorrow, illness and unforeseen
dangers. Thus the celebration of the Day of Vesak revived in Thailand it was
prominent during the reign of King Rama II. The practice continues to the present
day.
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The International Recognition of the Day of Vesak
On the 13 th December, 1999 at the General Assembly of the United Nations,
Session No. 54, Agenda item 174, the representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Cambodia, Chile, Cyprus, Grenada, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea,
Russian Federation, Seychelles, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand,
Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States of America proposed to the General
Assembly that it recognize the Day of Vesak as an international day, and make
appropriate arrangements for international observance of Vesak at the United
Nations Headquarters and at other at the United Nations Offices.
The General Assembly of the United Nations took into consideration the fact
that Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest religions and that, for over two and a half
millennia, it has made, and still continues to make, a significant contribution to human
spirituality, and therefore, resolved that appropriate arrangements be made for
international observance of Vesak at the United Nations Headquarters and at other
United Nations Offices.
As a consequence, sixteen countries jointly agreed to organize activities on
the Day of Vesak at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, U.S.A. from 2000
onwards. Each country acted, in turn, as coordinator in organizing celebration of the
Day of Vesak. Thailand was honored to act as coordinator for celebration of the Day
of Vesak at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, in 2004.
Thailand, as the host country, subsequently invited more than 40 countries to
jointly organize celebration of the Day of Vesak at the United Nations Regional Office
for Asia and Pacific in 2005.
Principles of Dharma Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is the principle that Buddhists should cultivate in their mind on the
Day of Vesak to recollect the birth of the Buddha, who was born for the benefit of the
many and out of compassion for the world.
Gratitude is appreciation of those who have done something for us. Acts of
gratitude show how thankful we are for what we have received. One who initially
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does something for another is, in Pali, called pubbakari “
the firstdoer”.
Pubbakaris
include, for example, parents and teachers.
Children owe their parents gratitude for many things, for example, for bringing
them into the world? for looking after them until they are grown up? for providing them
with education, training and teaching them to refrain from that which is bad and
establishing them in that which is good? for helping them to find suitable spouses and
for giving them their inheritance.
Grateful children, in turn, behave well, bring a good reputation to the family,
look after their parents, help them with their work, and perform meritorious deeds in
their memory once their parents have passed away.
Students should be grateful towards their teachers because their teachers
provide knowledge to them, train and instruct them to be good citizens, teach the arts
and sciences without exception, introduce them to other people and look after them.
On their part, students, in appreciation of their teacher’s kindness, study hard,
honor them, show respect to them and do not forget their counsel.
Being grateful is a mark of being a good person. It is a positive contribution to
the achievement of happiness in family and society. This is because the parents
themselves fulfill their responsibility first? the children, in turn, honor their own duty.
Teachers first impart knowledge of the arts and sciences and students, on their part,
will repay teachers by studying hard and showing respect. Apart from the
relationship between parents and children, teachers and students, the good quality of
gratitude can be employed between the ruler and the ruled, employers and
employees, among friends and among all people, thus encompassing all of humanity.
In Buddhism, the Buddha is the pubbakari, “the firstdoer”,
in that he founded
the Buddhist religion and showed the way to the end of suffering to those worthy of
instruction. To show our gratitude, we make two kinds of offering: material and
spiritual. The followers of the Buddha show their gratitude towards the Master by
organizing the Day of Vesak celebrations to promote Buddhism and by practicing the
Dharma so that Buddhism will remain for many years to come.

The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are the principles that the Buddhists should bear in
mind on the Day of Vesak because it is the day upon which the Buddha realized
those truths.
The Four Noble Truths constitute the highest truth, in that they do not change
and are true for each and every one of us. They are suffering, the cause of suffering,
the cessation of suffering and the way to the cessation of suffering.
Suffering is the problem of life. The Buddha taught that suffering is intrinsic? it
occurs in daily life and is common to all human beings. Intrinsic suffering includes
the suffering of birth, old age and death. On a daily basis, it includes separation from
loved ones, association with what one does not like and not having what one wants.
The cause of suffering is the root of the problem. The Buddha said that all
suffering has its cause and that cause is tanha, desire and grasping.
The cessation of suffering: the problem of suffering can be resolved.
According to the Buddha, all kinds of suffering can be eliminated by the elimination of
tanha, that is, the eradication of desire.
The way to the cessation of suffering is the means of resolving the problem.
The Buddha taught that the solution to all life’s problems is the cessation of suffering,
which can be achieved by following the Noble Eightfold Path with its threefold training
in morality, concentration and wisdom.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is that part of the Dhamma that Buddhists should bear in mind on
the Day of Vesak since, before he passed away, the Buddha gave his final instruction
of Vayadhamma Sankhara? appamadena sampadetha: “Subject to decay are all
component things, work out your salvation with diligence. So mindfulness is an
important principle. All of the Buddha’s teachings can be summarized under this
mindfulness. Mindfulness means being careful in action, speech and thought.
Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of thoughts, words and actions at the time that
they occur. This means that in daily life one should be constantly aware of one’s
movements through four postures: walking, standing, sitting and lying down.
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Mindfulness can be practiced in all postures through constant attentiveness
while standing, walking, sitting and lying down, and also when speaking, thinking or
undertaking any other activities.
Mindfulness also means attentiveness. It means to always review the
positive and negative aspects before doing, speaking or thinking anything.
Mindfulness is the state of mind in which one knows at the present moment what one
is doing, whilst attentiveness is the process of making a decision as to whether one
should do this or that. So attentiveness helps to prevent a mind from falling into the
power or the defilements.
Objectives
To promote among Buddhists an awareness of the importance of the Day of
Vesak and of the central teachings and practices related to it.
To help the Buddhists develop skillful thinking and wholesome deeds on the
Day of Vesak and to help them develop their own social and personal lives to
practice the central teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness.
To cultivate a positive attitude towards important days of the Buddhist
calendar and to help men and women to see the value of living their life in
accordance with the fundamental teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and
mindfulness.
To encourage Buddhists with faith and a realization of the importance of
Buddhism.
To help Buddhists to become good Buddhists and to perform their religious
duties correctly.
Family Activities
Clean the house? display the national flag and the Buddhist flag in the shrine
area at home and light candles for the Buddha.
Review the significance of the Day of Vesak, including the fundamental
teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness, applying them to the
family culture.

In a family, perform meritorious deeds such as offering alms, giving charity
and serving meals to the mother and father.
Practice the Dharma in a temple: pay respect to monks, chant, listen to
homilies, circumambulate, and meditate.
The elder members of the family should try to build a sense of friendship and
care? parents should lead by example in observing the Five Precepts and in
promoting the five duties implied by them. Diligence, frugality, honesty and
endurance should be encouraged.
The family should work together to discover the cause of any problems which
have occurred and to find solutions from what they have learned.
Activities in Educational Institutions
Clean the school compound? hoist the national flag and the Buddhist flag?
sept up shrine and light candles to the Buddha.
Teachers and students study together the importance of Visakha Puja with its
fundamental teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness applying
them to the culture of the institution.
Teachers may have students put up posters and banners, arrange an
exhibition or organize an essay competition or an art show, arrange a question and
answer session on the Dhamma, and hold a presentation or initiate a dialogue on
Visakha Puja.
Honor good actions and behavior of exemplary students.
Take students on field trips for participation in the public celebration of Day of
Vesak at a temple to make merit, offer alms, give charity, observe precepts, listen to
homilies and discuss the Dhamma, to circumambulate, to meditate.
Encourage and help teachers to give lessons promoting gratitude, the Four
Noble Truths and mindfulness.
Promote social research using the process of the Four Noble Truths.

Activities in the Workplace
Clean the office and its surroundings? display the national flag and the
Buddhist flag? set up a shrine room and light candles to the Buddha.
Communicate the importance of Visakha Puja, together with the central
teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness applying them to the
culture of workplace.
Arrange for homilies and Dharma discussions.
Offer charity for the public benefit, plant trees, or donate blood.
Employers and supervisors should permit employees to participate in
voluntary work of their choice.
Publicly honor good actions and behavior of an exemplary worker.
Encourage any program which employs the Four Noble Truths to resolve
problems and to advance the organization.
Activities in a Society
Clean the building of a temple, an organization, and an office? hoist the
national flag and the Buddhist flag? set up a shrine and light candles to the Buddha.
Temples, associations, private and public sector media should do public
relations campaigns about Vesak directed to the public about Visakha Puja through
all available forms of media.
Publicize the importance of Visakha Puja together with the central teachings
of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness as a way of life, as widely as
possible among people locally and in such public places as airports, railway stations,
bus stations, Dharma halls, markets and transportation depots.
Invite the public to participate in activities involving Dharma practice and
religious programs, such as making merit, giving alms, listening to homilies,
observing precepts, paying respect to monks or chanting.

Campaign through the mass media to reduce immorality and eliminate of the
sale of addictive drugs.
Publicly award organization and individuals for their devotion and contribution
to society.
Campaign for the protection of environment, plant trees and clean public
places.
Arrange a competition of poems and articles? arrange a talk on Visakha Puja
and recitations.
Promote the value of a good citizen who benefits the society.
Arrange programs to support the elderly, children, disabled, sick monks,
prisoners and the socially disadvantaged.
Benefits of the Day of Vesak
Buddhists will understand more the importance of Visakha Puja with its
fundamental teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness.
Buddhists will develop a positive attitude towards Buddhism and to see the
value of living a life in accordance with the central teachings of gratitude, the Four
Noble Truths and mindfulness.
Buddhists will be imbued with faith and to realize the importance of
Buddhism.
Buddhists will become good Buddhists who actually know how to perform
their religious duties.
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