Saka Dawa: Commemorating the Buddha

The full moon on the fourth month on the Chinese lunar calendar commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.  The festival is called Saka Dawa in Tibetan, Vesak in Sinhalese (used in
Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar), and Buddha Jayanti in Sanskrit (used in India, Bangladesh and Nepal).  The next celebration will fall on May 20, 2008.

Saka Dawa is a day where one’s positive and negative actions are believed to be multiplied as much as 1 trillion times, so Buddhists refrain from harming other living creatures (by avoiding eating meat, etc.), help others as much as possible, and
engage in Buddhist practices throughout the day.  Monks, nuns and other pious Buddhists dedicate the entire month surrounding the holiday to intense practice
and rituals. 

Buddhists worldwide commemorate the holiday by gathering at places of worship before dawn for prayer, meditation, and readings of the Buddha’s life story and teachings.  Offerings are made to a Buddhist shrine, such as fruit, incense and cookies.  Devotees purchase thousands of animals which have been caught to be eaten and release them into protected areas.  Devotees might also help the sick and elderly, give alms to the poor and give offerings to a monastery or Buddhist master.

Most Buddhists will observe the 8 precepts on the holiday, which include refraining from   killing, stealing, improper sexual activity, lying or harsh language, intoxicants, “horsing around” (e.g., dancing), and sitting on a throne or other fancy seat.  Many also devote much of the day to meditation, contemplation and prayer.

Celebration also includes specific practices commemorating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing to nirvana: 

• Shakyamuni Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal in 563 BCE to royal parents.  According to legend, the Buddha walked immediately upon exiting the womb and lotus flowers bloomed from his footprints.  Prophets predicted  that Siddhartha would either be a great king or a great spiritual master.  During the Saka Dawa festival, images of his mother and his first steps are displayed in places of worship to commemorate his birth.

• At age 29, Shakyamuni Buddha left the royal palace to pursue the ultimate spiritual truth.  He studied for 6 years with Hindu yogis, but found their ascetic practices to be ineffective for him.  At age 35, he sat underneath a fig tree, determined to attain unity with the ultimate truth.  After 49 days, he conquered all the confusion and delusion of his mind and became the “Awakened One” (Buddha).  He went on to teach for the next 45 years, gaining thousands of disciples.  During Saka Dawa, Buddhists commemorate his enlightenment by reading his teachings and meditating.

• At age 80, Shakyamuni Buddha passed into the realm of Nirvana (a state
  of perfect enlightenment).  His teachings live on, however, and are currently practiced by over 350 million people worldwide.  During the Saka Dawl, his passing into Nirvana is commemorated by images of the moment of his passing, prayer, and meditation.

For more information: 

Rabten Foundation: The Celebration of Saka Dawa

Tibetan Traditional Festivals

Wikipedia: Vesak

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