Last Updated on 22 May 2024 IST | Buddha Purnima 2024:Buddha Purnima, also referred to as Buddha Jayanti or Vesak, is a significant festival in the Buddhist tradition. This festival commemorates three major events in the life of Gautam Buddha: his birth, his attainment of enlightenment, and his death. Buddha Purnima is observed not only by the Buddhist community in India but also by followers in various other countries such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, and more. The celebrations typically include a variety of religious and cultural activities, highlighting the profound impact of Buddha’s teachings on millions of people across these regions. Today we will read what Buddha Purnima or Vesak Day is, when it is celebrated, and what the followers of Buddhism do on this day. We will also know the significance of the day. 

Buddha Purnima Festival of Buddhists

Buddhists celebrate Buddha Purnima, a religious holiday commemorating Gautam Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. This celebration, also known as Vesak Day, takes place on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Vaisakha, which falls in April or May. In 2024, Buddha Purnima will be observed on Thursday, May 23rd.

Introduction of Gautam Buddha

Gautam Buddha was born on 8th April 563 BC on the full moon day of Vaishakh, in Lumbini, currently in Nepal. Gautam Buddha in childhood was known by the name of Siddhartha Gautama and also as Shakyamuni (being born in the Gautama family which is part of the Shakyas clan). His father’s name was King Suddhodhana and his mother’s name was Queen Maya. It is believed that Buddha’s mother Queen Maya dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her body and ten months later Gautam Buddha was born.

Family Life of Gautam Buddha

At the time when Gautam Buddha had taken birth, his father had called eight brahmans to know his child’s future, then Brahmanas had predicted that their son will become a ‘great king’ if he remains inside the palace isolated from the outer world for his whole lifespan but if he goes outside the palace, he will become a great ‘Spiritual leader‘ and he will incline towards the asceticism. Suddhodhana was worried about this prophecy about his child. Gautam Buddha was married at the age of 16 by his father with Yashodhara and they had a son named ‘Rahul’.

Story of Gautam Buddha

Spiritual Journey/ Attaining Enlightenment of Gautam Buddha:– Gautam Buddha’s spiritual life is also known as “enlightenment”. It began when Siddhartha aspired to know about the outside world and one day he escaped from the palace with his charioteer ‘Channa’, where he saw four sights – an old man, a sick man, a dead body and a Yogi/ascetic.

These scenes made him realize that happiness in this life is momentary, this world is full of miseries and eventually, everyone has to die. 

■ Read in Hindi | बुद्ध पूर्णिमा (Buddha Purnima): क्या था महात्मा बुद्ध के गृहत्याग का कारण?

When Prince Siddhartha came to know the actual reality of human life, he left his family at the age of 29 and ran away from his palace at night and reached “Bodh Gaya” in India, where he voluntarily started meditation (Hatha Yoga) underneath a banyan tree (Ficus Religiosa or Bodhi Tree) without taking initiation/Naam from any “Sat-Guru”.

As a result of which his hands and feet stopped moving, his body became like a skeleton and he nearly approached death. At that time, he was made to eat Kheer (rice pudding) by an old woman which made him realize that one cannot do spiritual practice in a hungry state. Then he came up with the quote

“Starvation cannot lead to salvation“

Gautam Buddha

This first meditation of prince Siddhartha is known as enlightenment or self-experience theory aroused from meditation and he became famous from the name of Lord Gautam Buddha.

Death Reason of Gautam Buddha

It is believed that Gautam Buddha died at the age of 80 years around 483 BC at Kushinagar in India due to food poisoning. According to Buddhist people, Buddha had attained the “Mahaparinirvan” i.e. end of this vicious circle of death and birth.

Teachings of Gautam Buddha on Buddha Purnima 2024

Gautam Buddha was an adherent of  Ahinsa. He was against giving someone pain. Mahatma Buddha gave Four Noble Truths- “the truth of suffering, the truth for the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, the truth of the path that frees us from suffering”. As solution, he gave the eightfold paths to withstand these. His teachings were always laid on ahinsa, kindness, support, forgiveness, brotherhood etc. 

Buddha’s self-experience Theories

What authentic spiritual books say about Gautam Buddha’s self-experience theories: – None of the spiritual teachings or self-experience of Gautam Buddha are in accordance with the authentic spiritual books i.e. Vedas and Shrimad Bhagwat Gita, even though he was against the possession or veracity of Vedas and its practices. His practices were self-driven by his personal experiences and their followers would not get any materialistic and spiritual benefits of the practices prescribed by Mahatma Buddha due to which his followers started becoming atheists.

Many countries like China, Russia, and Japan have turned into communists and are far away from the real way to attain peace and salvation in life as they believe that there is no God. The entire Universe gets created and destroyed on its own.

Buddhism Is Against God’s Constitution

The beliefs and principles of Buddhism are against the God’s Constitution which is apparent from the following points: –

• Meditation without eating (Hatha Yoga) in the spiritual path: Personal experience from meditation without eating (Hatha Yoga) is worthless on the path of spirituality because the path of salvation could not vary from person to person and it always remains the same for everyone.
• As per Holy Gita Adhyay 3, Shlok 5 to 9, only a foolish person follows the path of Hath Yoga and in Gita Adhyay 6 Shloka 16, both of those person’s sadhana is not successful, who eats a lot and who do not eat at all i.e. keeps fasts and also who do worship by sitting at one place i.e. hatha yoga.
• Result of arbitrary meditation: – Mahatma Buddha got experience from his arbitrary speculation and only gave the moral lesson to his followers but did not give any mantra. As per Holy Gita Adhyay 16 verse 23, any person who does arbitrarily spiritual practice, will not attain salvation nor get happiness.
• Is God not in existence: – Mahatma Buddha from his ‘practice of nirvana’ misguided innocent people that God is not in existence and arbitrarily said that “Entire universe gets created and destroyed on its own” while Atharvaveda Kand No. 4 Anuvaak no.1 Mantra No.7 made it clear that the name of that God, who had done all the creation is Kabir Sahib Rig Veda Mandala 9 Sukt 96 Mantra 18 says that the supreme God lives in an eternal place called Satlok.
• Spiritual Teacher is mandatory on the path of salvation:- Without taking Naam Initiation from spiritual teacher/ Tatvdarshi Saint, salvation can never be attained.

Was Mahatma Buddha Incarnation of God? 

It is believed among his followers that mahatma buddha was god but he was a Nobleman, a practitioner and a Hatha yogi. He started a different sect. Buddha’s theories were the result of his own experiences which had no connection with Vedas or Geeta. He even did not have a spiritual Guru. Firstly, God never takes birth from a mother’s womb and He always tells devotion according to holy scriptures. 

Also Read | Concept of God in Buddhism Religion

One can activate one’s chakras by hatha yoga like sages have done in the past, but one can not attain salvation because only Tatvdarshi Sant can lead one to eternal abode from Trikuti. Mahatma Buddha was not God in fact, he was not on the path of salvation according to the scriptures.

Conclusion of Buddha Purnima 2024

Mahatma Buddha started preaching without any guidance and only shared his experiences. Mahatma Buddha had changed the meaning of salvation i.e. liberation from samsara (endless cycle of rebirth).  

Mahatma Buddha said that Sorrows and happiness are intrinsic and no one can evade them. In this regard “Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj” says that sorrow and happiness are the result of our karma but from true worship, Supreme God can destroy our heinous sin and gives happiness in our lifetime and after death, we attain salvation 

Yajurveda Adhyay 5 Mantra 32 describes Supreme God Kabir is the giver of Supreme peace and happiness. He can destroy all the sins. Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj also said Mahatma Buddha was not God because Mahatma Buddha himself said that he is just a spiritual guide, Not the salvation giver.

To get the detailed information please listen to Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj’s spiritual discourses on the Sadhna channel from 7:30 pm IST. You can download & read books like Gyan Ganga and Jeene Ki Rah written by Sant Rampal Ji to enlighten the soul. Nowadays one can easily download the books in pdf form and take Naam Diksha (initiation) from Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj by filling out the online Naam Diksha form. One can also download the Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj app from the play store.