‘Seeing’ Vesak

By ASHANI ERANDIKA JAYASUNDARA, The Nation, May 21, 2016

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Like any other festivals, Vesak Poya has also become a festival of merry-making. Make-shift stalls come out of the woodworks in the city, dangling ready-made lanterns of a multitude of colours. People scurry in and out of stalls buying Vesak cards, lanterns, buckets, masks, Buddhist flags, and lights bulbs is a common scene during the season.

The design of Vesak lanterns has also been distorted as per the demand of customers.
The day, considered as a public holiday in honour of the Buddha, has become day for merry-making for many today.

Today, e-Vesak cards are used au lieu de Vesak cards that were presented by hand or sent by post. The simply-crafted Vesak lanterns made of bamboo sticks, which were used to decorate homes in the past, have been modified and replaced with iron and plastic frames. Today our busy schedules prevent us from doing many things we were used to in the past. As a solution to our packed schedules, we choose to buy these lanterns and buckets as making them would be time consuming.

Vesak lanterns, light buckets, lamps are meant as an offering of light to the Buddha, who lit up the path to Nibbana for all human beings. Making Vesak lanterns and other activities, during Vesak season, which involve team spirit and patience as well as co-operation are no more. Everything is subject to money. Celebration of Vesak is not anymore what it used to be. It has lost its spiritual core by now.

Large crowds throng the illuminated streets. They find it thrilling than going to the temple. During Vesak season, people stroll  the streets transformed into a grand spectacle with massive pandals or Thoran, lanterns, lights, contests and other funfilled activities which are organized to impress the passerby.

Vesak decorations are on display day and night during Vesak season. Electrification of Vesak pandals embellished with paintings of the various stages of the Buddha’s life and various Jataka stories. Today, the concept of Vesak has become a money spinner. The pandals and Vesak lanterns, which are constructed as a ritual of offering light during Vesak are used for commercial gains today.

People have also become competitive in their creations of lanterns and pandals, as competitions are organized by various institutions and encouraged through financial rewards. This begs the question whether financial gains are the ultimate motive of people during Vesak.

Although there are dansal, organized to feed pilgrims and the tired traveller, the street vendors gain enough commercial benefits. People gradually forget the real spirit of Vesak. Qualities like tolerance and cooperation have been shod gradually due to the influence of money and technology. People are too selfish and competitive even to celebrate this holy day.

In the good old days, all the people in the village gathered to light coconut oil lamps by the roadside, a rare sight today. It is pathetic that Vesak has been commercialized. Today, people have got more materialistic, with blatant disregard for moulding their spiritual well-being on this holy day.

The true meaning of performing rituals such as making lanterns has been forgotten. This has become a mere celebration of light and illumination than about focussing on the symbolism behind it. Vesak Poya is solely a religious festival and not a festive occasion. Vesak is an important event in the Buddhist calendar, celebrated by Buddhist devotees to mark the three significant events of the Buddha’s life; His Birth, Enlightenment and Parinibbana.

It has been a ritual for Buddhists island-wide, to flock to the temples to observe Sil and to engage in various religious activities, such as listening to religious sermons and engaging in meditation. But today it is a different scenario. While some people involve in religious activities, for the rest leading hectic lives, it is a day to organize picnics and to get the full merriment afforded by the rare-long weekend.

People are too engrossed in their daily work that they have forgotten about spiritual balance vital for life. But on this blessed day, we should determine to develop self-discipline without losing our moral values. As taught by the Buddha, we should engage in only good deeds backed by humanity and kindness, while being mindful of our own demeanor. Let us wish that the spirit of Vesak enable us to choose the right path for a peaceful living.
We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP