Vaiśākha Day Celebration

Buddha’s birthday, enlightenment and parinirvāṇa: Saturday, May 21

After practicing austerities for a long time, the recluse Gautama thought: “Could there be another path to enlightenment?”

He then considered:

“I recall when my father the Sakyan was occupied, while I was sitting in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered upon and abided in the first meditation, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. Could that be the path to enlightenment?”

Then, following on that memory, came the realization:

“That is the path to enlightenment”. (Majjhima-nikāya 36)

Here is our schedule for Vaiśākha Day:

6–8am: Sojong

9am: Temporary ordination ceremony

11am: We join the Vaiśākha celebration at Nalandabodhi Halifax, followed by lunch

5pm: Sādhana of Mahāmudrā practice with other Buddhist groups in Fall River, followed by dinner (pot luck style), but soup will be provided

What to bring:  A dish to share (no meat or alcohol); a copy of the Sādhana of Mahāmudrā. If possible, please bring a gomden since we presently know of around 45 to 50 people to come and we have only gomdens and chairs for 50 people.