RELIGIOUS HOLY DAYS AND FESTIVALS

BASIC BELIEFS AND TEACHINGS - 14229_111

GLOSSARY - 14229_113

Religious Program Specialist 3 & 2, Module 01-Personnel Support
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Right livelihood Right effort Right mindfulness Right concentration The Eightfold Path enables one to overcome selfishness, sorrow, and to gain perfect freedom and peace. This ideal state is “nirvana.” An important virtue to Gautama was love. Outside of Christianity, perhaps no other religion has stressed the virtue of love quite as much. RELIGIOUS BUDDHIST LITERATURE The sacred book of Buddhism is the Triptika, also called the “Three Baskets.” The Triptika consists of The Vinaya Pitaka (Basket of Discipline) The Sutta Pitaka (Basket of Discourses) The Abhidhamma Pitaka (Basket of Metaphysics) Variations occur in the Buddhist Triptika, dependent upon whether Pali or Sanskrit translations are used. RELIGIOUS HOLY DAYS AND FESTIVALS The religious festivals that are observed vary according to the branch of Buddhism. There are some festivals, however, that are observed by most Buddhist groups. New Years—Shusho E—(January 1) is a day of dedication. At the new year, a water festival is held. Water is splashed on friends and strangers. There are parades of decorated cars and floats, images of Buddha are ceremonially bathed, and monks entertained. Processions of monks and young men pass through the streets and are splashed with water by the bystanders. At the pagodas, they pay reverence to the Buddha and then engage in national dances. The beginning of the rainy season, from July onwards, is marked with special offerings to monks. It is said that this is the time when Buddha sojourned in heaven and preached the Dharma to the assembled gods. The rainy season has always been the time for teaching and meditation in Buddhist lands. Since it is not possible to work in the rice fields, during the rainy season many laymen retire to the monasteries where they live and meditate. Plays, weddings, or festivals are not allowed to be held during this season. At the end of the rains, pagodas are full of flowers and incense is burned by day and lamps lighted at night. Lamps signify the return of Buddha to earth, and the gods illuminate his path all the way down. Robes are given to monks and alms are given to the poor. 2-84

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