Sermon 28: Visakha Puja (Wesak)

"Foremost am I in the world
Supreme am I in the world,
Most excellent am I in the world
For me there will be no more rebirth."

(D. ii. 15)

The first inspired utterance of Lord Buddha after Enlightenment:

"Through many births in the wandering-on
I ran seeking but finding not
The maker of this house-
Dukkha is birth again, again.
O house-maker you are seen!
You shall not make a house again;
All your beams are broken up,
Rafters of the ridge destroyed:
The mind gone to the Unconditioned.
To craving's destruction it has come.

(Dhp. 153-154)

The last words of Lord Buddha before his Parinibbana:

"Listen well, Oh Bhikkhus, I exhort you: Subject to decay are all compounded things, with mindfulness strive on! "

(D. ii. 156).

Today upon an occasion thrice sacred to Buddhists, we shall explain the significance of Visakha Puja or the sacred day in the month of Visakha. The texts read out above are the recorded speech of Gotama, the Great Teacher of all Buddhists, upon three vitally important events of his life. It is said in the commentaries that these three events all took place upon the full moon day of Visakha: the birth, Enlightenment and Final Nibbana, or Parinibbana as it is know in the Pali language. It is never enough in Buddhism merely to follow religious observances out of tradition for one should also know the significance of each of these three events; and to understand them well, it is necessary to have some grasp of Buddhist teachings. This day, Visakha Puja is the festival of festivals for Buddhists and since it commemorates three events in Gotama the Buddha's life, it is also known as Buddha Day. Let us review these events, in the order in which they occurred: birth, Enlightenment and Parinibbana, and base our observations upon the quoted words of the Great Teacher.

Now if and ordinary person was to declare "Foremost am I in the world" and so forth, one might well be pardoned for assessing it as conceit. Why should it not be so in this case? And when were these words spoken? In the Discourse known as the Sublime Story in which Gotama recollects to a gathering of Bhikkhus these words and other wonders attending his birth. The traditions which interpret such happenings for Buddhists of the present, gives them all a symbolic meaning and these words are said to represent his future Turning the Wheel of Dhamma at Benares with the final forecast that in this life he would attain to Arahantship. Whether spoken or not, these words do however, contain a great truth and to understand this we should comprehend the ideal and life of a Bodhisattva. Literally, a Bodhisattva means 'wisdom being' and implies a person who has vowed to attain the highest Enlightenment no matter how many lives it may take him. This devotion to the ideal of becoming a Buddha, an Enlightened One, is utterly altruistic, for the Bodhisattva also vows that he will help all beings towards Enlightenment as he goes on his way through countless lives of being reborn as man, celestial being, or among the animals. Thus slowly through perhaps aeons of time, a Bodhisattva ripens himself, all the time intent upon the good, and profit, of others while through this merit advancing his own long training. In the course of this long series of births, the Bodhisattva perfects himself in certain qualities called Paramount qualities or Parami, which when developed to their fullest perfection, become the basis for that perfect Enlightenment which he gains in his last life, or as we say, when he becomes a Buddha. A Bodhisattva is pursuing this great training, specially in his last few lives when he approaches his cherished goal. It is said that the being known to us as Prince Siddhartha was, in his last life but one, born as the fruit of his wonderful generosity, into a celestial realm. Having spent a very long life in that realm, he became aware that it would soon be time for him to take rebirth, for the last time. It is also said that the other celestial beings or gods implored him to seek for rebirth as a man so that he might win the great Enlightenment. He agreed and was born to the Queen Mahamaya upon the full moon of Visakha, his father being the monarch of the small Sakiya realm on the borders of North India and Nepal. He was aware of taking birth, of being born and of having in previous lives fulfilled all the ten paramount qualities or Parami. On being born he was not as most other babies, who are confused and cannot recollect their past existences. His mind was clear, full of mindful reflection, full of potential for the future development of wonderful qualities. He was, even as a new born babe, ripe for the Supreme Enlightenment.

Now whether he actually stood, strode out seven steps and spoke these words, which the Sutta attributes to him, is really not important. It begins to be clear why these words are said to be his, because he was worthy in this way. "Foremost, Supreme and Most Excellent" he was indeed, and his age can show us no rival, and history also confirms his greatness. These words then, spoken or unspoken, relate to us the truth about that infant Prince and truth does not go hand-in-hand with pride or conceit. This truthfulness, I which is one the Paramount qualities developed by the Bodhisattva, the proclamation of what really is, occurs many times later in the life of Lord Buddha when fearlessly he makes plain the whole truth of some matter. Such an utterance is called a 'Lion's Roar', for just as the lion in roaring has no other beast to fear so, Lord Buddha has no other teacher or doctrine to fear in the matter of complete truth. He was also completely conscious that in this life his training to perfection would be fulfilled so it is reported that he has said also "For me there will be no more rebirth."

To many people rebirth sounds a good idea, they like the sound of having plenty of other lives. But this is only until they think about what those other lives will entail. How will a prospect of birth, sickness, old age and death repeated ad infinitum seem upon close examination? Add to this that many births may be sub-human as the results of evil done, and contain much more suffering than one's present birth. And so the Wheel of Wandering-on, or samsara, may keep on whirling, driven on by one's own stupidity and craving. Birth and death, birth and death and all the weary round in between! How tasteless will such a round be to one who is perceptive of the real nature of life! He will long to be able to stop the whirling wheel of wandering-on so as to come to the Supreme Peace and Happiness, which is not transient. But this Peace and Happiness called Nibbana, cannot be got by only having faith but must be won by development of wisdom and the purification of the mental stains.

Now, the Prince Siddhartha had no teacher who could tell him how this might be done, while we are very fortunate, since we have the living tradition of Dhamma and Vinaya, or Doctrine and Discipline left by Lord Buddha for our guidance. We are not compelled to wander through many births trying to find "the maker of this house." What is this house and what is the maker? This house means the combination of mental and physical which compose what I call "my" personality. What of the maker? Is the maker exterior to oneself? If so there would be no possibility of ever coming to the great gnosis of Enlightenment. No, the maker is craving or tanha, within each and everyone of us-for pleasures, for life and even sometimes, for death.

So in the first utterance after his Enlightenment, Lord Buddha as he should be known, celebrates the victory over self-ignorance and craving. He says:

"Through many births in the wandering-on
I ran seeking but finding not
The maker of this house-
Dukkha is birth again, again.
O house-maker you are seen!
You shall not make a house again,
All your beams are broken up,
Rafters of the ridge destroyed:
The mind gone to the Unconditioned,
To craving's destruction it has come."

So in the house of the mind and body constructed by craving, the beams which are supports of the house representing the defilements of mind-the passions which give one no rest, these beams of defilements are broken. Moreover the rafters of the ridge holding up the roof of the house which, so to speak, prevents the entry of light and air, these rafters of unknowing are destroyed. Opened up is the house with no obstruction to the light of the brilliant sun of Enlightenment, which blazes down and illumines the perfect truth.

"The mind gone to the Unconditioned": thus joyful is Lord Buddha that he has come to the end of his quest and won to the Unconditioned, another name for Nibbana. For the conditioned or the compounded is just a word describing all our usual experiences which are constructed out of numerous factors and supported by numerous conditions. Being so constructed, all these conditioned experiences of our life easily fall apart, deteriorate, come to nothing, and no lasting happiness therefore, can be expected of them. But the Unconditioned, which is Nibbana is not put together, but it is a discovery, which each one of us may make for himself if he wishes to do so. It has no beginnings or ends, as do conditioned things, and does not rely upon anything else. It cannot be prayed to or destroyed but a Path of Practice leads towards it for those who are interested. Because it is itself unchanging, its sublime peace and happiness are also unchanging.

This Nibbana which means the relinquishment of all cravings worldly or heavenly, was found by Lord Buddha seated under the famous Bodhi Tree at Buddha Gaya in North India, upon the Full Moon of Visakha. He had been a prince and had dwelt in luxury; he had left his palaces and the treasures contained in them, to go forth to homelessness as a religious mendicant. He had practiced for six years the bodily austerities, which were reputed to bring one to the highest attainment. And he had found them as useless as his former indulgence in luxury. Leaving both extremes, he set himself to practice the Way in the Middle and having refreshed himself by once again taking adequate food, he sat down upon the Eve of Visakha to find out this true Way. It was the ascetic Gotama who sat down beneath the Bodhi-tree but it was the Buddha Gotama who sat under it at daybreak, his mind utterly free, a clear pool of excellent wisdom, cool and fragrant.

But just as the Bodhisattva does not turn aside from the help needed by other beings, so a Perfectly Enlightened One does not keep to himself the wonderful fruits of his age-long labors. His Great Wisdom is naturally accompanied by his Great Compassion, the Compassion that wells up naturally in him as he sees the miserable plight of living beings, all of whom wish to be happy but few indeed perceive the path leading to happiness. Nor is his Great Compassion an abstract quality for we see it demonstrated in every one of the days composing the forty-five years of his Enlightenment. For these forty-five years were spent strenuously, showing the Dhamma to all who wished to hear it whether they were Brahmins deeply versed in religious lore, noble warriors and kings or common people such as weavers and courtesans. Not one was ever turned away and all were helped even up to the time of his Parinibbana when, eighty years old, Lord Buddha's body was weakened by age, travels and by sickness. The great wisdom and purity found in his teachings all spring from the clear pool of the -Enlightened mind, a calm proceeding from the sure knowledge that neither the mind nor the body are self or in any ultimate sense part of self.

Sick, old and tired as was Lord Buddha's body when he lay down for the last time at Kusinara, still he was concerned for the good of all. He asked his own disciples whether or not they had any questions upon the Doctrine and the Discipline, which he had taught them. But so satisfied were they, so possessed of clarity was their understanding of the Dhamma-Vinaya that they had no questions at all. He further gave some last instructions concerning various small matters and insisted upon meeting the wandered Subhadha who had requested that he might be allowed to meet Gotama the Buddha, knowing that he would soon attain Parinibbana. Having taught Dhamma to Subhadha, whose understanding was such that he could instantly penetrate to its truth as he sat there listening, and having given to Subhaddha the ordination as a Bhikkhu, Lord Buddha was prepared to leave entirely the conditioned world and to enter upon the Unconditioned Nibbana which leaves nothing behind. He lay upon his right side with his head pillowed upon his right hand, his feet placed one upon the other a position that is called the Lion-posture, while underneath his body was folded his outer robe. Above him were the branches of two Sala trees between whose interlaced branches shone the round orb of the Visakha Full Moon. These two trees, at his head and at his feet, rained down a shower of sweet-scented blossoms as though they too intended to honor this great teacher who was sometimes called the Light of the Three Worlds. All about was the stillness of the night. Lay-people had sorrowfully bid farewell to their Teacher and had returned to their homes while around Gotama the Buddha in the last hour of his life were many hundreds of Bhikkhus who had themselves won to Enlightenment. They were not distressed for they thought no doubt 'Impermanent are all conditioned things, how can they be otherwise?' Even the physical bodies of Buddhas are conditioned and therefore impermanent just as our own. But those Bhikkhus who had not yet discovered Enlightenment for themselves, they were distressed at the thought 'No longer will our teacher be with us. Too soon has the Light of the World been extinguished.' Having comforted them Lord Buddha uttered his last words, an exhortation to persevere: "Listen well, 0h Bhikkhus, I exhort you; Subject to decay are all compounded things: With mindfulness strive on." After this he said no more but retired into states of mental collectedness known only to those who have developed their minds. Having reached one of these states of intense mindfulness and equanimity, he attained to Parinibbana.

What is this? How can we know about his final Nibbana? Once Lord Buddha was asked by the young Brahmin Upasiva:

"Does he not exist who's reached the goal?
Or does he dwell forever free from ill?
O sage do well declare this unto me
For certainly this matter's known to you."

And the Buddha replied:

Of him who's reached the goal, no measure's found,
There is not that by which he could be named,
When Dhammas all for him have been destroyed,
Destroyed are all the ways of telling too."

This means that the truth is to be found in neither nihilist theories nor in eternalist ones. Neither is that one who attains to final Nibbana annihilated, nor does he go on living forever. The truth cannot be told in words for when all Dhammas are destroyed, meaning all empirical and mental experience, then all the ways of telling are also removed. There is only one way to know about this matter, and that is the way in which Lord Buddha intended that earnest people should adopt, the way to practice Dhamma so as to find out for oneself.

As to our Great Teacher's last exhortation although these words were addressed to Bhikkhus, they are not less applicable to lay-people, for all of us are surrounded and are actually composed of compounded things which are certain to decay. If we fondly cling to these things we may well be annoyed, surprised or come to great suffering when we feel or encounter their dissolution. Our own bodies are a case in point and it is with these compounded things that we are primarily concerned. All of us have attachment to the body but do we realize how dangerous this attachment is and how much suffering it is likely to involve us in? The way of training is there for those who would remedy attachment to compounded things and that way is mentioned by Lord Buddha: it is mindfulness. But how this should be cultivated in oneself is a subject perhaps for another Dhammadesana.

Now as to what Buddhists commonly do upon the annual ceremony of Visakha Puja, the most evident sign is the circumambulation of temples and stupas or reliquary monuments. This is done three times keeping the right shoulder towards the temple or stupa to be honored. Those who make this circumambulation with little concentration only gain little fruits, for in the mere circling of Buddhist monuments there is no special advantage. But one who circles the temple and stupa with mind find fixed upon the recollections of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, or the Enlightened One, Doctrine and Community, such an one reaps fruit according to the concentration of his mind, for a concentrated mind is very fruitful and of great advantage. This popular exercise of piety is therefore very beneficial if done in the right spirit.

More capable Buddhists do this and more than this, for they will use such an occasion as this day for making a special effort to train their mind. Some may resolve upon more meditation practice, others to stay all night to listen to the Dhammadesana in the temples, others more simply by taking the Eight Precepts for the day, and so on.

In this way Buddhists are not so much hearking back to three events in the distant past, but bringing these same three events into their lives in the present time. It is natural that this must be the real Buddhist aim, for the past even of one minute ago is dead, what to speak of the past gone by two thousand five hundred years? We celebrate the birth of the Bodhisattva, Prince Siddhartha Gotama but that has gone by two thousand five hundred and ninety years ago. Important to ourselves is our own birth, if not as Bodhisattva, then at least into the way of training in the Dhamma. It goes without saying that we should constantly celebrate this birth into Way of Dhamma, not only upon one day of the year. We are, as the deepest teachings of Lord Buddha assure us, ever being born and dying from second to second. We can each one decide which way we shall be born, into the way of Dhamma or into the way of evil. It should be our concern, if we are really concerned for our own good, to be born more and more into the practice of Dhamma, and this will be quite the best way of honoring Lord Buddha's birth. We shall not accomplish our aim by offering incense and candles alone. We may see how Lord Buddha is best honored from this passage of the scriptures:

"And the Lord spoke to the venerable Ánanda, saying: "In full bloom, Ánanda, are the twin Sala trees, yet is not the season of blooming. And the blossoms rain upon the body of the Tathagata and drop and scatter and are strewn upon it in worship of the Tathagata… Yet not thus, Ánanda is the Tathagata respected, venerated, esteemed, worshipped and honored in the highest degree. But, Ánanda, whatsoever monk or nun, layman or laywoman abides by the Dhamma, walks in the way of the Dhamma, it is by him that the Tathagata is respected, venerated, esteemed, worshipped and honored in the highest degree. Therefore Ánanda, abide by the Dhamma, live uprightly by the Dhamma, walk in the way of the Dhamma, thus should you train yourselves". These are Lord Buddha's own words telling those of later ages as well as the Bhikkhus present at that time how truly he should be honored with the highest honoring. There is a story in the Dhammapada Commentary about a Bhikkhu by the name of Dhammarama (one dwelling in Dhamma). A synopsis of it would run like this: From the day when the Great Teacher announced that in three months time he would attain Parinibbana, many thousands of Bhikkhus spent their time in attendance upon him. And gathering in little groups, they asked each other, 'What are we to do?' But a certain Bhikkhu named Dhammarama resolved to strive the more earnestly for the attainment of Arahantship. Accordingly, Dhammarama went about by himself pondering the Dhamma. The other Bhikkhus, misunderstanding his motive, told the Buddha that Dhammarama had no affection for him. Lord Buddha admonished them as follows: "Every other Bhikkhu should show his affection for me in the same way as Dhammarama. For they that honor me with perfumes and garlands, honor me not; but they that practice the Dhamma whether in the relative or the ultimate aspect, they alone truly honor me".

Thus was Bhikkhu Dhammarama praised by Lord Buddha. Another Bhikkhu, Vakkali whose story was recorded in the same Commentary was exhorted to make effort. This Bhikkhu was fascinated by Lord Buddha's beauty of person, so that he spent all his time gazing at him. But Lord Buddha reproved him in these words: "What is there Vakkali, in seeing this vile body? Whoso sees Dhamma sees me: whoso sees me sees Dhamma". In this case it is for us to decide what to do. Lord Buddha only pointed out the immense benefits, which accrue to those who set themselves to Dhamma-practice.

That one who has fulfilled the practice of Dhamma, who has penetrated himself to Dhamma, is described in a verse, which also serves to praise the High Wisdom of the Enlightened One, our Unexcelled Teacher:

"The Noble, the Excellent, Heroic too,
The Great Sage, and the One who Conquers all,
The Passionless, Washen, One Enlightened
That one I call a Brahmin true".

(Dhp. 422)

EVAM

Thus indeed it is.