Pattaya Mail

Vesak day generally commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Lord Buddha. However, Vesak 2012, which falls on June 4, holds a special significance as it will also mark the 2,600th anniversary of Buddha’s Enlightenment.

On this occasion, the Sangha Supreme Council and the Office of National Buddhism of Thailand will hold celebrations across Thailand to commemorate the birth of the Buddhist religion under the theme of “Buddha Jayanti: 2,600 years of Buddhist Enlightenment”.

“Jayanti” is derived from the Sanskrit term “Jaya”, which means victory. This refers to the triumph of Prince Siddhartha over the Maras (demons) and Kleshas (temptations), which led to the birth of Buddha and the Buddhist religion. Nowadays, the term “Buddha Jayanti” has also been interpreted as the victory of the Buddhist religion and its followers as well.

The Buddha Jayanti celebration in Thailand was officially launched on the recent Magha Puja day, which fell on March 7. The celebrations, which were hosted by the Thai government, included activities to allow Buddhist followers to worship the Lord Buddha as well as dedicate the fruit of their merit-making to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of his 84th anniversary.

Major celebrations to mark the Buddha Jayanti will take place on the three most important days of the Buddhist religion: Magha Puja, Vesak and Asalha Puja. Academic seminars and other activities to promote Buddhist teachings, or Dharma, to families and community members will also be held at various venues, including the Phutthamonthon grounds, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Muangthong Thani, Siam Paragorn and temples nationwide.

The Buddha Jayanti celebration flag consists of a green sacred bo leaf decorated with traditional kanok motifs, which encircles the Dharmachakra resting in the center of the Thai national flag. The flags will be distributed to people so they can be flown or hung in their homes; they will also serve as a token to remind them of the significance of this celebration.

Apart from rejoicing in the 2,600th anniversary of Buddha’s Enlightenment, the objective of the Buddha Jayanti celebrations is to remind Buddhist devotees to “do good deeds, avoid evil actions and purify the mind”, which is one of the core teachings of the Buddhist religion.

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Pattaya Mail

About 25,000 people turned up at dawn Dec. 24 to present alms to 2,084 Buddhist monks on a mission to help Southern Thailand brethren and flood victims.

The huge merit-making event in front of Pattaya City Hall at 6 a.m. saw the crowd, dressed predominantly in white, donate rice and dried goods to support a nationwide drive by a million monks to provide relief to 266 embattled Buddhist temples in Thailand’s Muslim-dominated south.

This portrait of His Majesty the King graciously oversees the ceremony.

All the received alms will later be distributed in the south, and to victims of recent flooding in 26 provinces. The ceremony is counted as part of the 77 Provinces 1 Million Monks Alms Giving Project initiated by Phrathepyanmahamuni, the Abbot of Dhammakaya Temple.

The Dhammakaya Foundation, the Association of Meditation for World Moral Development and the World Moral Revival Club organized the government-sponsored event, the fourth since 2008, aimed at reviving and supporting religion. It was a family-oriented activity meant to reinforce traditional values as well as support the southern monks, who are often the targets of violence by Muslim separatists.

Banglamung District Ecclesiastical Chief Pharkru Vijidhammasarn presided over the ceremony and Pattaya Major Itthiphol Kunplome led the congregation in the merit-making by presenting a royal flower cone in front of HM the King’s portrait. The sea of orange robes flowed along North Road from the 3rd Road intersection to the Dolphin Roundabout.

Among the other guests was Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome, Santsak Ngampichet, chairman of the Religion, Art and Culture Department, local political leaders and MPs.

The most respected monks in the area take pride of place at the event.

Over 20,000 people turned up at dawn Dec. 24 to present alms to 2,084 Buddhist monks.

Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome addresses the early morning gathering.

Over 2,000 monks receive alms from over 20,000 humble followers.

Even foreign guests are willing to help.

Bathed in the early morning light, monks pray for their brethren in the South.

Praying for peace, happiness and prosperity for all.

Dressed in white, praying for peace, reaching for serenity.

Young and old pray for a better future for the Kingdom.

The solemn ceremony has deep meaning for many.

This article was published in the Pattaya Mail newspaper on Friday January 6, 2012 (Vol. XX No. 1).

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