Buddha Purnima


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Today and tomorrow, with the Full Moon of May, many will celebrate the Buddha Purnima. For traditional Buddhists it is the celebration of the birth of Lord Buddha. Some Buddhist countries will celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of Lord Buddha. To those of us who follow the universal path of contemplative mystics, it is the celebration of the Cosmic Buddha who has no beginning, middle or end.

Tradition tells us that the prince Siddhartha abandoned his kingdom and family in search for a solution to suffering. He became Gautama, the wandering monk, and searched for Truth in many places. It is said that he practiced many spiritual disciplines, but that none showed him the way to erradicate suffering. Tradition says that He sat under a tree and vowed not to get up until He found the solution to His question: why do sentient beings suffer?

The monk Gautama sat and meditated for many days until He discovered that all sentient beings suffer because they resist the unavoidable changes of life. All sentient beings suffer old age, illness, and death. It is unavoidable! It is said that Gautama reached a state He called Nirvana or Spiritual Enlightenment and suffering ceased. From that moment on He would be known as Siddhartha Gautama Buddha or simply as Lord Buddha, He Who Has Awakened.

Lord Buddha was not a Messiah in the sense of Christianity. He never claimed to be a God, He simply said that He was a man who had found Enlightenment. He taught that everyone could find Enlightenment (Nirvana) through self-effort. He rejected the authority of the priesthoods of His time, He rejected the cast system of the Hindus, and He insisted that the Gods -- like human beings -- have limited understanding. He told everyone that Nirvana was a very profound state that expressed Itself in the life of human beings as Understanding and Loving-Compassion.

Everyone can find Enlightenment, for the Ultimate Truth is not subject to any religion, divinities, or priesthoods. Everyone can find that Ultimate Truth within him/herself, and discover the end of all suffering. But He insisted that whoever wanted to reach Nirvana must make his/her effort. Everyone of us is a potential Buddha, all we have to do is go deep within ourselves and bring that Buddha out into the open.

May every one find Peace and Enlightenment in this lifetime.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

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and i still learn from you hermano luis.i thought the buddhas birthday was in april.

what is importent is the message behined the observation,not the date.thank you for the information,and taking the time.

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