Happy Birthday!

In many lands, the full moon of May is celebrated as Vesak.This is not yet a  Hallmark card holiday, yet it’s celebrated around the world, as Buddha’s day.  (Many consider it a triple celebration: day of his birth, of his enlightenment, and of his final transformation unto ultimate nirvana.) Wikipedia notes :

Celebrating Vesākha also means making special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. To this day, Buddhists will distribute gifts in cash and kind to various charitable homes throughout the country. Vesākha is also a time for great joy and happiness, expressed not by pandering to one’s appetites but by concentrating on useful activities such as decorating and illuminating temples, painting and creating exquisite scenes from the life of the Buddha for public dissemination. Devout Buddhists also vie with one another to provide refreshments and vegetarian food to followers who visit the temple to pay homage to the Enlightened One.

There’s news of its observation in India and Singapore and Sri Lanka.  Today’s Vesak Edition of The Buddhist Channel highlights coverage from numerous countries. Even The Wall Street Journal has assembled a slide-show.

In celebrating this birthday, we can cultivate what is new and fresh in our own lives. What is being born in your life?

Happy birth day !