Buddhism: holidays, traditions, customs. Main Buddhist Holidays A message on the subject of autumn holidays for Buddhists

In the countries of the East, where Buddhism is the state or one of the main religions, Buddhist holidays are included in the local national and cultural-religious tradition and are perceived as an indispensable part of it.

NEW YEAR

Among the holidays that are now considered Buddhist, there are those that initially had nothing to do with Buddhism. First of all, this refers to the celebration of the New Year, the arrival of which in one form or another was celebrated by all the peoples of the globe long before the emergence of world religions, incl. Buddhism. Everyone's New Year's holiday was full of ancient magical symbols, its purpose is to ensure wealth, fertility, prosperity in the coming year, in other words, the well-being of the people and the state. It is quite natural that over time this holiday turned out to be built into the system of the Buddhist holiday calendar and is saturated with Buddhist mythological and ritual content.

The Chinese, Tibetans, Mongols, Vietnamese, Buryats and Tuvans celebrate the arrival of the New Year on the first spring new moon according to the lunar calendar. Since the lunar year is shorter than the solar year by about a month, the onset of the New Year does not have a fixed date and can fluctuate within one and a half months (from the end of January to the first decade of March). Calculate this date in advance according to astrological tables.

The Chinese, celebrating the New Year, of all the gods of the Buddhist pantheon distinguish Guanyin - the female manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Mercy Avalokiteshvara. It is her image that is placed on home altars, sacrifices are made to her and prayers are offered, asking her to be merciful and condescending to the owners of the house. All other New Year's rituals among the Chinese are associated with their traditional system of beliefs and values ​​formulated by Confucianism and Taoism.

Since 1873, the Japanese have been living according to the Gregorian calendar and, like us, celebrate the New Year on the night of December 31 to January 1, and then walk for another two weeks. However, among the numerous rites, elements of Buddhism are insignificant: 108 bell strikes on New Year's Eve and lamps lit before the face of the gods in Buddhist temples. The Japanese New Year's holiday has remained inherently popular, it is celebrated at home, and on the morning of January 1, people come to worship the deities in a Shinto shrine.

The New Year among Tibetans, Mongols, Buryats and Tuvans is also a national holiday. Among the Tibetans, it became Buddhist from the beginning of the 15th century, when the founder of the Gelug school, the great Buddhist figure and reformer Tsongkhava, developed the Charter of his school and the rules for holding Buddhist holidays in monasteries. It was he who timed the Buddhist holiday to the people's New Year Monlam (Great Prayer) in honor of the victory of Buddha Shakyamuni over false teachers and the performance of 15 miracles by him in the city of Shravasti. Since the Mongols, Buryats and Tuvans are followers of the same Gelug school as the Tibetans, they also have a daily service in the temple in honor of one of the 15 miracles of the Buddha in the first two weeks of the New Year.

MONLAM - 15 wonders of the Buddha

Descriptions of these miracles have been preserved in Buddhist literature. Soon after the Buddha began preaching his teachings, he had many disciples. Six monks - ascetics, who were abandoned by the disciples who became followers of the Buddha, hated him for this and wherever they could, mocked both the new teaching and the Buddha himself and demonstrated to the people all sorts of miracles that they were capable of. The Buddha did not pay attention to them, but one day his disciples asked the Teacher to shame these false teachers, because they harm people and there is no peace from them. And the Buddha agreed. A place was chosen - the city of Shravasti, where he performed his 15 miracles: one miracle a day, creating worldwide fame for himself.

- 1 On the 1st day of the first spring moon, he stuck his toothpick into the ground and a huge tree grew out of it, which covered the entire sky with its branches, obscured the sun and moon. Fruits hung on it, like vessels containing five buckets of water.

- 2 On the 1st day of the first moon, Buddha produced high mountains on both sides of him with forests of fruit trees growing on them. In the mountains to the right hand of the Buddha, people gathered and ate wonderful fruits, and animals grazed to his left.

- 3 On the 1st day of the first moon, the Buddha rinsed his mouth and spat out the water on the ground. It turned into a huge lake. A lot of wonderful lotuses grew in the middle of it, illuminating the whole world with their light and filling it with fragrance.

- 4 On the 1st day of the first moon, at the will of the Buddha, a voice was heard from the waters of the lake, which preached the sacred doctrine.

- 5 On the 1st day of the first moon, Buddha smiled, and from his smile the light was scattered in three thousand worlds; all on whom this light fell became blessed.

- 6 On the 1st day of the first moon, all the followers of the Buddha knew each other's thoughts, virtuous and sinful, and also learned about the reward and retribution that awaits them for this.

- 7 On the 1st day of the first moon, the Buddha, by his appearance, aroused in all those gathered a feeling of reverence and aspiration for the sacred teaching by showing himself in all his heavenly grandeur. He appeared surrounded by the rulers of the whole world, their retinues and noble people. All this time the false teachers were utterly powerless to work any miracle; their thoughts were confused, their tongues were numb, their feelings were suppressed.

- 8 On the 1st day of the first moon, the Buddha touched the throne on which he was sitting with his right hand, and five terrible monsters suddenly appeared, destroying the seats of the false teachers, and the terrifying deity Vajrapani, who arose with them, drove them away with his vajra - a weapon like lightning. After that, 91,000 former admirers of false teachers went over to the side of the Buddha and accepted a spiritual title.

- 9 On the 1st day of the first moon, Buddha presented himself to everyone around him as having grown to heaven and thus preached the sacred teaching to all animate beings.

- 10 On the th day of the first moon, Buddha became visible simultaneously in all the kingdoms of the material world and preached his teaching.

- 11 On the 1st day of the first moon, Buddha turned his body into an inexpressible light that filled thousands of worlds with its radiance.

- 12 On the 1st day of the first moon, he emitted a golden ray from his body and illuminated with it all the kingdoms of the three thousand worlds. Those who were touched by this light received the teachings of the Buddha.

- 13 on the 1st day of the first moon, Buddha emitted two rays from his navel, which rose to a height of seven fathoms; at the end of each ray, a lotus flower grew. From the middle of each flower came out two reflections of the Buddha. They, in turn, emitted two beams ending in a lotus, from which new reflections of the Buddha appeared. This went on until flowers and Buddhas filled the entire Universe.

- 14 On the 1st day of the first moon, Buddha produced by his will a huge chariot, which reached the world of the gods. Along with it, many more chariots were formed, each of which contained one reflection of the Buddha. The radiance emanating from them filled all the worlds with light.

- 15 On the 1st of the first moon, the Buddha filled all the vessels in the city with food. She had a different taste, but after tasting her, people felt pleasure. The Buddha then touched the earth with his hand, and it opened up, showing the suffering that lovers of pleasure endured in the regions of hell. Those who saw this were embarrassed, and the Buddha began to preach his teaching to the audience. So, during the two weeks of the 1st New Year's month, services were held in Buddhist temples describing these miracles.

VESAK

Vesak is a common Buddhist holiday, which is celebrated on the second week of the 1st summer month. This is the same date for all countries of the Buddhist world. On this day, three great events happened at once in the life of the Buddha: his last earthly birth, enlightenment and immersion in nirvana. 80 years passed between the first and the last event, he became Enlightened at the age of 35, but all this, according to the traditional biography of the Buddha, happened on the same day. For a whole week, monks talk about the life of Buddha in temples, solemn processions move around temples and monasteries, depicting theatrical versions of these three events of his biography. Not only monks, but also laity take part in processions and temple services.

THE CIRCULATION OF MAITREYA

In the middle of the second summer moon, the temple festival of Maitreya's Circulation is held. Maitreya is the Buddha of the coming world period. This is the name in Buddhism of that period of time that will come after the end of the period of "rule of our world by Buddha Shakyamuni." On the day of this holiday, a sculptural image of Maitreya is taken out of the temple, put under a canopy on a chariot, to which, again, a sculptural image of a green horse is harnessed. Surrounded by crowds of believers, the chariot slowly makes a detour around the territory of the monastery, moving in the direction of the sun. Crowds of believers on both sides of the road move along with the procession, periodically kneeling in front of the statue of Maitreya. One group of monks drives the chariot, others walk in front or behind it, reciting prayers. The service lasts all day.

MYSTERY TsAM (CHAM)

The Mystery of Tsam (Cham) was performed annually in Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Buryatia, and Tuva. It was introduced into the practice of temple rituals of the Tibetan schools of Buddhism by the great magician and teacher Padmasambhava (VIII century). Even within the same country, this mystery could be performed at different calendar dates - in some in winter, in others - in summer, and be different in genre. In some cases it was a dance pantomime, in others it was a play with dialogues, involving 4-5 characters, and finally, it could be a grandiose theatrical performance with 108 participants (108 is a sacred number in Buddhism), who are in costumes and masks, quite heavy by weight (one mask could weigh up to 30 kg), they acted out an action, the heroes of which were the characters of the pantheon of Tibetan Buddhism and characters of folk mythology (in Tibet - Tibetan, in Mongolia and Buryatia - Tibetan and Mongolian). The performance of the mystery pursued several goals at once, and in different monasteries the emphasis was on different things: intimidating the enemies of Buddhism, demonstrating the triumph of the true teaching over all false teachings, a way to pacify evil forces so that the coming year would be prosperous, preparing a person for what he would see after death on path to a new rebirth. Tsam was performed by specially trained monks who had passed the initiation; a few days before the holiday they were supposed to spend several hours in a state of deep meditation. Random people among the actors could not be. Each monastery had costumes and masks, carefully preserving them from one performance to the next. When one of them fell into disrepair, a replacement was made with careful observance of the necessary rites. Among the Buddhists of Mongolia and Russia, the last performances of Tsam were recorded at the end of the 20s of the 20th century. The ongoing processes of the revival of Buddhism in both countries also provide for the revival of Tsam, but this is a long and difficult task.

DUINHOR

In the monasteries of the northern branch of Buddhism, which combines features of the Mahayana and Vajrayana, two more holidays are celebrated, unknown to other areas of Buddhism: Duinhor and Dzul. The first of them is celebrated in May and is associated with the beginning of the preaching of Kalachakra, one of the important components of the Vajrayana philosophy. Kalachakra, literally "the wheel of time", is one of the most esoteric concepts in Buddhist tantra. The tenth century is considered the time of its formation, the place is the mythical country of Shambhala. On a holiday, those who have access to the philosophical depths of Buddhism gather in the temple.

DZUL

Dzul is a holiday dedicated to the memory (day of entering nirvana) of the founder of the Tibetan Gelug school, the reformer and philosopher Tsongkhava. It is also called the Feast of Lamps, because. on this day, at nightfall, thousands of oil lamps are lit inside and outside the monasteries. They are extinguished at dawn. Monks read prayers, believing lay people make offerings to the temple with money, food, and things. It is celebrated annually on December 25th.

BUDDHA'S DESCENT FROM THE SKY TOUCHIT TO EARTH

Among the general Buddhist holidays is the Descent of the Buddha from the sky Tushita to the earth. Time of its carrying out: the end of October - November. The essence of the holiday is as follows. Living in the form of a bodhisattva in the Tushita sky (the 9th level of the Buddhist cosmos, where all bodhisattvas live before they become Buddhas), Shakyamuni Buddha realized that it was time for him to make the last rebirth among people on earth. As his earthly parents, he chose the ruler of the Shakya people Shuddhodana and his wife Maya. In the form of a white elephant (one of the sacred images of Buddhism), he entered the side of his future mother and was born a prince. After 29 years of a happy life in the palace, he went in search of the truth, at the age of 35 he discovered it for himself, sitting under the bodhi tree, and became Enlightened, i.e. Buddha, and began to preach his teachings. The Buddha's decision to gain the last earthly birth and open the "way of the Buddha" to everyone is the main idea of ​​this holiday.

FESTIVAL IN HONOR OF THE BUDDHA'S TOOTH

And, finally, another holiday celebrated only by followers of Theravada - the southern and earliest branch of Buddhism - is a holiday in honor of the Tooth of the Buddha. It is held only in one place - on the island of Sri Lanka, in the city of Kandy in the Dalada Maligawa temple, where this main relic of Buddhism is kept. The holiday lasts for two weeks (its time is late July - early August), it includes temple services, solemn processions with elephants, one of which carries a casket with a Tooth, processions of musicians, dancers, singers. Once upon a time, the participation of the ruler of the Kandyan kingdom was considered mandatory, because. possession of a relic gave the right to occupy the throne of this state. Now the head of the local administration performs the same functions.

The legend that formed the basis of the holiday is as follows. At the time of the cremation of the earthly body of the Buddha, one of its participants pulled out his tooth from the funeral pyre. For eight centuries it was kept in India, but in the 4th century, in connection with the internecine wars that began in India, they decided to take the tooth to a safe place - to the island of Sri Lanka. There, a temple was built in his honor and, according to local legends, it has been kept here since then, and a feast in his honor is held annually. The data of historical chronicles contradict this statement, in particular, one of them claims that in the 16th century. The tooth of the Buddha was captured by the Portuguese, fell into the hands of Catholic fanatics and was publicly burned, and that a fake is kept in Kandy. However, for any religion, myth is more important than historical reality. Therefore, as before, every year at the end of July, tens of thousands of people, believers and tourists come to the city of Kandy to look at this amazing relic - the only material confirmation that the Buddha once lived on earth.

Of course, this is not a complete list of Buddhist holidays. There are a lot of them: each country and each temple has its own, but those listed here, perhaps, can be considered the most important.

According to the Buddhist calendar on the 8th, 15th and 30th of each lunar month
the effects of good and bad deeds increase 100 times.

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But he remained adamant. Then Mara, remembering the merry youth of the prince, sent his daughters to him. But the Buddha found the strength to give them a short sermon on the futility of indulging passions. After that, the demons despaired of stopping him. On the 49th day, Siddhartha comprehended the structure of the universe and became Enlightened. At that moment, Mara reappeared and demanded proof of the great event. To this, the seated Buddha touched the earth with his right hand, and it replied: "I testify to this."

The Bodhi (Bo) tree, or "Tree of Enlightenment" as the Indians call it, is the banyan, (Indian fig tree), or Ficus religiosa, in Latin. Under it was the Buddha at the moment of enlightenment. True, this is not exactly that tree, but its great-great-grandson. The first to encroach on the sacred relic was Ashoka himself, who originally professed Hinduism. The king wanted to burn it on a ritual fire, but the tree did not catch fire. Instead, it began to glow. Repentance and conversion of the king to Buddhism followed so soon that he managed to save the shrine by soaking the roots in water and milk. Later, Ashoka had to save Bo from his wife, who was hostile to the new religion.

He was forced to build a 3-meter wall around the shrine. But the princess of Ceylon, Sangkhamitta, was, on the contrary, so inclined towards Buddhism that she specially came to Ashoka in order to take with her a shoot of the sacred tree and plant it in the garden of Anuradhapura. The tree that grew out of it has survived to this day. According to scientists, its age is 2150 years. It was thanks to him that Indian Buddhists managed to resurrect the main relic of Bodhgaya more than once.

Buddhist holidays are events full of kindness and joy. Every year, Buddhists around the world celebrate many holidays and organize festivals, most of which are associated with important events in the life of the Buddha or various bodhisattvas. Holiday dates are set according to the lunar calendar and may not match in different countries and traditions. As a rule, on the day of the festival, the laity go to the local Buddhist temple to bring food and other items to the monks in the early morning, as well as listen to moral instructions. Daytime can be devoted to helping the poor, walking around the temple or stupa in honor of the Three Jewels, reciting mantras and meditation. The most important Buddhist holidays are briefly described below.

This holiday falls on different dates in different parts of the world. In Theravada countries (Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos) New Year is celebrated on the full moon day of April and is celebrated for three days. In the Mahayana tradition, the New Year usually begins on the first full moon of January, and most Tibetan Buddhists celebrate it in March. In the countries of South Asia, it is customary to pour water on each other on this day.

Holidays in Theravada Tradition - Vesak (Buddha Day)

Some Buddhist holidays are of special significance and are held on a large scale, for example, Vesak - Buddha Day. On the full moon of May, Buddhists around the world celebrate the birthday, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha (with the exception of a leap year, when the holiday falls in early June). The word "Vesak" is used according to the name of the month in the Indian calendar.

Magha Puja (Sangha Day)

Magha Puja is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month and may occur in February or March. This sacred day serves as a reminder of an important event in the life of the Buddha, which happened in the early period of his career as a teacher. After the first retreat in the rainy season, the Buddha went to the city of Rajagaha. 1250 arhats (enlightened students) returned here, without prior arrangement, after wandering, in order to pay respect to the teacher. They gathered at the monastery of Veruvana, along with the two senior disciples of the Buddha, the venerable Sariputra and Moggalana.

Buddhist holidays in the Mahayana tradition - Ulambana (Day of the Ancestors)

Followers of the Mahayana celebrate this holiday from the beginning of the eighth lunar month to its fifteenth lunar day. It is believed that the gates of Hell open on the first day of this month and spirits can move into the human world for two weeks. Food offerings made during this period can alleviate the suffering of ghosts. On the fifteenth day, Ulambanu, people visit cemeteries to make offerings to the deceased ancestors. Some Theravadins from Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also celebrate this annual event. Among Japanese Buddhists, a similar holiday is called Obon, begins on July 13, lasts 3 days and is dedicated to the birth of the departed family ancestors in new bodies.

Avalokiteshvara's birthday

This holiday is dedicated to the ideal of the bodhisattva, embodied by Avalokiteshvara, who personifies perfect compassion in the Mahayana tradition of Tibet and China. The holiday falls on the full moon of March.

Bodhi Day (Enlightenment Day)

On this day, it is customary to honor the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha. As a rule, Buddhists celebrate this important holiday on December 8 by reciting mantras, sutras, meditating and listening to teachings.

There are other Buddhist holidays that have different scales and their own unique specifics. They can take place both annually and have a more frequent frequency.

Buddhist holidays are events full of kindness and joy. Every year, Buddhists around the world celebrate many holidays and organize festivals, most of which are associated with important events in the life of the Buddha or various bodhisattvas. Holiday dates are set according to the lunar calendar and may not match in different countries and traditions. As a rule, on the day of the festival, the laity go to the local Buddhist temple to bring food and other items to the monks in the early morning, as well as to listen to instructions in morality. The daytime can be devoted to helping the poor, walking around a temple or stupa in honor of the Three Jewels, reciting mantras, and meditating. The most important Buddhist holidays are briefly described below.

Buddhist New Year

This holiday falls on different dates in different parts of the world. In Theravada countries (Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos) it is celebrated on the full moon day of April and is celebrated for three days. In the Mahayana tradition, the New Year usually begins on the first full moon of January, and most Tibetan Buddhists celebrate it in March. In countries on this day it is customary to pour water on each other.

Holidays in Theravada Tradition - Vesak (Buddha Day)

Some Buddhist holidays are of special significance and are held on a large scale, for example, Vesak - Buddha Day. On the full moon of May, Buddhists around the world celebrate the birthday, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha (except when the holiday falls in early June). The word "Vesak" is used according to the name of the month in the Indian calendar.

Magha Puja (Sangha Day)

Magha Puja is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month and may occur in February or March. This sacred day serves as a reminder of an important event in the life of the Buddha, which happened in the early period of his career as a teacher. After the first retreat in the rainy season, the Buddha went to the city of Rajagaha. 1250 arhats (enlightened students) returned here, without prior arrangement, after wandering, in order to pay respect to the teacher. They gathered at the monastery of Veruvana together with the two senior disciples of the Buddha - the venerable Sariputra and Moggalana.

Buddhist holidays in the Mahayana tradition - Ulambana (Day of the Ancestors)

Followers of the Mahayana celebrate this holiday from the beginning of the eighth lunar month to its fifteenth lunar day. It is believed that the gates of Hell open on the first day of this month and spirits can move into the human world for two weeks. Food offerings made during this period can alleviate the suffering of ghosts. On the fifteenth day, Ulambanu, people visit cemeteries to make offerings to the deceased ancestors. Some Theravadins from Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also celebrate this annual event. Among Japanese Buddhists, a similar holiday is called Obon, begins on July 13, lasts 3 days and is dedicated to the birth of the departed family ancestors in new bodies.

Avalokiteshvara's birthday

This holiday is dedicated to the ideal of the bodhisattva, embodied by Avalokiteshvara, who personifies perfect compassion in the Mahayana tradition of Tibet and China. The holiday falls on the full moon of March.

Bodhi Day (Enlightenment Day)

On this day, it is customary to honor the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha. As a rule, Buddhists celebrate this important holiday on December 8 by reciting mantras, sutras, meditating and listening to teachings.

There are other Buddhist holidays that have different scales and their own unique specifics. They can take place both annually and have a more frequent frequency.