The significance of which lies with the Buddha and his universal peace message to mankind.

Birth:

Temples will display a small image of the baby Buddha in front of the altar in a basin filled with water and decorated with flowers, allowing devotees to pour water over the statue; it is symbolic of the events following the Buddha’s birth.  We honor the significance of the birth by the ritual of bathing the baby Buddha. It is  a symbol of the events that led to and came from his birth when the devas paid homage to the Buddha by the  heavenly offerings given to him.

Enlightenment:

As we recall the Buddha and his Enlightenment, we are immediately reminded of the unique and most profound knowledge and insight which arose in him on the night of his Enlightenment. His message of compassion is paramount.

We honor the enlightenment of the Buddha by making special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. On this day, many Buddhists will distribute gifts of monies and foods and offer kindness to various charitable homes throughout the country. Vesak is also a time for great joy and happiness.  Enlightenment is the end of suffering. Many Buddhist will use this opportunity to bring joy and happiness to others.

Devotees are expected to listen to talks given by monks. The monks will recite the Pali chants which were spoken and taught by the Buddha twenty-five centuries ago. They are meant to invoke peace and happiness for the Government and the people. Buddhists peoples are reminded to live in harmony with people of other faiths and to respect the beliefs of other people as the Buddha himself had taught.

Parinibbana:

Knowing that the time of his death was close, the Buddha summoned his disciples and spoke to them calmly:

“Ripe is my age, short is my life, leaving you I shall go. I have made myself my refuge. Be diligent, mindful and extremely virtuous. With thoughts collected guard your mind. In this doctrine and discipline by living strenuously, you will escape the cycle of rebirth and put an end to suffering.”

“Think not that you have no teacher after my death. Regard the Dhamma and Vinaya I have taught you as your teacher.”
“He who practices my teaching best serves me most.”
“He who sees the Dhamma sees me.”
“Transient are all component things, strive on with diligence.”

Then having felt his mission was accomplished the he passed away at eighty years of age,on a couch between two sala trees. He was born, as an extraordinary man he lived, and as a Buddha he passed away. Buddha was not a God nor a God’s prophet. He was a man with the message that offered the end of suffering. His message, the Dharma, is as needed today as it was 2552 years ago.

The Buddha left us a simple but great message. “Study together, learn together, practice the teachings together. Do not waste your mind and time in idleness and bickering. Enjoy the blossoms of enlightenment in their season and harvest the fruit of benevolence. “The teachings which I have given you, I gained by following the path myself.

It is a message of peace, commitment, self responsibility and compassion.  In this Vesak season renew the commitment, compassion and responsibility to your practice.  Extend yourself to the suffering around the world.  Remember the Maha Sangha in our efforts to bring about a lasting peace and compassionate efforts for the peoples of Burma and China. They are after all just like us.  Hope and pray for the governments of oppressive nations to allow the freedoms inherent to all people.  As we pray for peace throughout the world, may we ourselves have happy minds.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

All of us can feel anger. Likewise all of us can feel fear. We fear death. But death is inevitable. What is not inevitable is anger. Anger is the single most definable detriment to living beings everywhere. Anger and violence are branches of the same tree. They are like fire. Engage the anger and violence and you yourself are consumed.

The Buddha spoke of compassion and forgiveness, and how even words can be hurtful. We must ask ourselves what path we take. What are we to do with the emotions, fears, and anger we feel with regards to the people and monks of Tibet and Burma alike?

Many times you hear the word compassion. How do we love every person with equanimity? When doing evil the evil doer is obvious. It is the same by those who would do good. They are also seen. We are seen. We are heard. Compassion does not mean we sit idly by while evil is exercised all around us, but rather to not become engaged in it. Whenever an oppressor by any force harasses, gives pain, devastation, broken body, grave illness, mental anguish, government harassment, violence, slander, loss of loved ones and death, these persons will reappear with no discernment in hell.Compassion is not cowardice.

We can not judge the Chinese government or their motives. We can only speak to the actions they have carried out. They have their own karma. It is the same for us. We must understand that the actions of yesterday are responsible for the reality of today. What we do today will affect our lives tomorrow.

When we are shaken from our peaceful lives by the beliefs, statements, and actions, of any one person or government we must in solidarity with the oppressed make a commitment of support. Through your commitment to non violence, mindful conduct, and virtue, you become the voice and energy that causes change. Violence is never quenched by violence.

This action we are engaged in today is not about who they are and our response to hated, violence and death. It is about whom we are and our ability to effect change through forgiveness and compassion. The actions of the Chinese government against the peoples and monks of Tibet and Burma are their own. Our response to that aggression is our own. It is incumbent on a people seeking peace to act peacefully, to speak out against aggression without becoming the aggressor. We can not condemn the people of China. In the same way we ask them to understand that we are simply people of our country. There is a difference between the thoughts and minds of a people of every land and the government that rules them. We are not governments. We are people.

We must stand in solidarity with those who are everywhere oppressed. We must become the light that shines into the darkness of tyranny, evil and oppression. If the governments and beings of the world need a model for compassion and peace, let us be that model.

Heal your minds of anger. Sign petitions, walk in solidarity. Voice your concerns, and open your hearts.

“When one person passes, his life force dies like a candle hushed until rebirth, when hundreds perish the darkness is undeniable. Standing here our thoughts transcend the distance as we open our hearts of compassion.We breathe into this world a hope of great peace. We may be able to do nothing more. But we are able to speak. Our voices like thousands candles shine. We, each of us, will join our single voice in a chorus of compassion and sing the songs of peace. So when the last leaf falls from this tree of life, it may rest until reborn, as all this anguish comes to completion. When those who have fallen strain to hear the outcry of the world, we pray they hear our songs of peace.”

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

More often we as western practitioners of Buddhism look to the effects of Dharma and not the origin of Dharma. People have commonly used the definition of Dharma as the body of teachings from the Buddha. Dharma is teaching. It is the teachings from texts and classrooms and Dharma teachers. Moreover, Dharma is the events of life [phenomena]. These are the opportunities we can use for learning. Learning and understanding the action of Dharma in our lives helps us to unite the experience and the effects of Dharma. As westerners we are trying to understand a wide angle concept. It it like trying to throw a net into the night sky and gather in every star. Some stars would be left, causing a division in the universe. There can never be divisions in Dharma. Every interpretation is valid and welcome. No authority is too great to be questioned, too sacred to be touched. Unlimited interpretative freedom through free will is the quintessence of Dharma, for Dharma is as limitless as truth itself. No one can ever be its sole mouthpiece.

Sometimes confusion begins from basic concepts such as the differences between religion and Dharma. So, what is Dharma, in a nutshell? First and foremost Dharma is nature and the natural laws of nature. It means to live by moral and ethical principles of the society without surrendering the freedom to question them. Dharma, by its nature is continually evolving and not rigid or inflexible. The continuous evolution of Dharma has come about through debate, and the triumph of logic, consensus and harmony. Most importantly, Dharma is not linked to any religion or set of beliefs.

Today we need a new Dharmic Consciouness in the world, a recognition of the universal Dharmas of being, consciousness and bliss that unite all creatures. We as sentient beings have the honor of knowledge. We need to place ourselves and other beings in the light of natural laws of nature. We must develop a sense of joy that comes in every step as we follow the path of our Buddhist nature. We must allow the energy of undertanding and the compassion that comes from living the Dharma keep us joyful. All beings have the right to exist without interference, to develop their own awareness, and find their own happiness. Much of the global crisis today has come about because we human beings have abandoned Dharma and sought to impose our beliefs and desires, not only upon other human beings, but on all of life and nature, subordinating the entire planet to our selfish ends. Unless we return to Dharma, it is unlikely that we can flourish, or perhaps even survive as a species. Restoring and reviving Dharma, therefore, is probably the most important issue today.

Dharma is learned. It is more than the effect of education. It is the living in harmony with the self.

The Buddha discovered that the mind always carries some object or the other, be it anger, hatred, ill will or loving-kindness, compassion, goodwill, and so on. He referred to these mental objects as Dharma. Then he realized that mental objects such as anger, hatred and ill will (akusala) have the characteristic of defiling the mind, making one miserable. He also realized that mental objects such as loving-kindness, compassion and goodwill (kusala) have the characteristic of purifying the mind, making one cheerful. He called these mental objects akusala (unskillful) or kusala (skillful), as the case may be, on the basis of such realizations. It was not because of some blind belief or just to establish some sort of authority.

Dharma may be defined as the laws of nature or nature of laws which, when realized through insight, lead one gradually towards the goal of full liberation.

Three Essential Components

At this point a definition for the term Darma is needed. The definition takes care of the following three essential components of Dharma:

• The focal point is laws of nature or nature of laws, cutting across all sectarianism.

• These laws, or their nature, have to be realized through insight at the experiential level, thereby saving Dharma from being degraded into a mere intellectual game.

• One should have the feeling of being led on to the final goal of full liberation, which will make one persevere on the path of Dharma.

The Universal Character of Vipassana or Dharma

The universal characteristics of Vipassana mediatation allow the understanding of Dharma. Dharma lies in “self-introspection”, for which the Enlightened One proclaimed:

All those who, in the past, purified their deeds of body, speech and mind did so only through self-introspection;

All those who, in the future, will purify their deeds of body, speech and mind, will do so only through self-introspection; and

All those who, in the present, are purifying their deeds of body, speech and mind are doing so only through self-introspection.

For us a practical definition of Dharma is anything that will bring us to harmony with the self. Each of us in our own way must strive to accomplish those things that calm us and the space we occupy.

We can learn from anything and from anyone. There is no universal law that states Dharma must either be painful of pleasant. It simply is.

What we do with the knowledge is often the cause for suffering or consternation. How many times have you heard someone say; “stop I don’t want to hear any more I may have to change the way I feel.”

The understanding of what constitutes Dharma is of paramount importance to westerners. Dharma is not only the knowledge but the tool. Notice the small things that arise in meditation. Study the way we “fit” into society. Allow the transformation and purification of self to happen. Be happy with self knowledge. Remember that if there is something that arises in your introspection that you found unpleasant: Change it! Your karma changes everyday. We know that today is the child of yesterday, just as tomorrow will be the child of today. Start to make the changes today that you wish for yourself in the future.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319