Buddha Purnima is the day of death and resurrection with a message that all of us are buddhas, writes Pratiksha Apurv. Published in The Times of India and Speaking Tree.
Buddha Purnima reminds us of not only the luminous light and enlightenment of Gautama Buddha, but also of the serene breeze of buddhahood in all of us. We are all living in duality without realizing that buddhahood, the treasure of ultimate awakening, is hidden inside of us. Buddha Purnima is therefore symbolic. It is not only about the birth of Gautama Buddha but also about death and rebirth. It is about the death of outside knowledge and the resurrection of a new awakening. In these trying times when the world is witnessing a new order, people have become observant and compassionate towards their surroundings.
We have been living just one aspect of our life on earth – the race to reach somewhere, and the killing pace of attaining professional success, which leaves behind the little things that matter most. In the last two months, we have become more aware about nature, people around us, and the beautiful sky. This sky is the Buddha.
Unlike our professional life, no effort is needed to become the sky. We just need to become aware. This is also a significant mantra of Buddha’s life.
He did not become enlightened despite years of his spiritual quest, simply because he was trying too hard. He was making efforts by adopting various methods, including observing fast. When he realised that he was following a pattern where ‘i’ and its effort were obstacles to reach the innermost core, he stopped.
Although it took Buddha many years to reach that moment, when he finally sat down under the Bodhi tree and dropped the effort that was only fuelling his ego, enlightenment happened. In that moment of silence, he was not a doer, he was not even thinking of enlightenment. And then the full moon appeared in the sky. Everything was just happening. When the night passed by and the sun came up, the man under the Bodhi tree was not the same. He was awake, conscious and radiant just like the full moon.
The full moon is intrinsically related to Buddha. He was born on a full moon night; he became enlightened on a full moon night, and he also died on a full moon night. That’s why Buddha Purnima is the day of death and resurrection with a message that all of us are buddhas.
Buddha’s message was to awaken people and show them how to live as pure consciousness. He did not give a doctrine but only a message that we are living on the surface and there is immense possibility to go deeper in our being, our own consciousness which will make us more loving and compassionate.
Be aware, relaxed and life’s luminosity and grandeur will unfold naturally. This is the most profound sutra of the Buddha, and he wanted his disciples to awaken others. This is his hidden mantra. He wanted his disciples to become “infectious,” so that whosoever came in touch with them became meditative and kinder.
For Buddha, meditation and compassion were social responsibilities. We need to follow his message and take it upon ourselves to show tremendous compassion.
Share your joy with the world, with trees, animals and birds unconditionally.
A new lifestyle, in which meditation and compassion will sprout in the same soil, could be a true blessing for the world.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com – image courtesy Pratiksha Apurv
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