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'THE
BUDDHIST HOUR'
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The Buddhist
Hour
The Old English word holy day, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, means a religious festival, a day consecrated or set apart for religious observance usually in commemoration of some sacred person or event. The modern usage of this word is holiday which means a day of festivity or recreation. Australia is a multicultural society celebrating many religious festivals and other holy days. Each year Members of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. uphold the tradition of celebrating Buddha's birth, enlightenment and paranibbana anniversary, as do the many Buddhist Temples and Centres in Victoria. This day, known as Versak, occurs on the full moon of the lunar month in May. The source of our moon charts is the Melbourne Planetarium. Buddhist practitioners traditionally engage in meritorious activities on this day, such as making offerings to the Sangha in order to pay respect to the Triple Gem, create causes for learning Buddha Dhamma and receive Blessings on this significant anniversary. This year, Versak was recognised by United Nations on its annual list of sacred religious days. There are many other dates that are holy days in the world. A minority of Australians practice their religion by going to Christian churches during traditional holy days. Director of the multi-denominational Christian Research Association and Uniting Church Minister, Philip Hughes, says that about 1.5 million Australians (11 percent of the population) regularly practice one of the forms of Buddhist meditation. The same percentage regularly attends Christian churches. The total number of regular churchgoers is more or less static. Against a general population increase of over 1 percent a year, church going is still declining. Census data shows the fastest growing response to the question on faith, 17 percent, is 'no religion'. Another minority celebrate Hanukkah, a Jewish family festival, the Feast of Lights, close to the time of Christmas. It commemorates and celebrates the cleansing of the Temple at Jerusalem at the time of the great Maccabean revolt. A holy candelabrum with seven branches was used in Jerusalem, however, a candelabrum called a menorah with eight branches is placed in the window during a period of eight days at the time of Hanukkah. On the first night one candle is lit, then the next night another, and so on until all are alight. The youngest child is usually given the privilege of lighting the candles. The festival is also an occasion for gift giving. The name Jehovah a a form of the word God, which traditionally the Jews accounted too sacred to be uttered. This form was devised by Christian writers through a incorrect translation of the Hebrew. Modern scholars render it as Yahweh or Jahveh. Ramadan is one of the most important observances in Islam. It consists of a month of fasting daily from sun rise to sun set. Observant Muslims will try to read the entire Qur'an during this period, which commemorates Muhammad's receiving of revelations from the Archangel Gabriel. The day after Ramadan is completed is called Id-ul-Fitr, which begins a feast lasting several days. Greeting cards may be exchanged; children receive presents; and families are expected to donate money equivalent to that of a meal from each of its members to the poor. Jerusalem, the city held sacred by the three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, has been shown by archaeological evidence to have been in existence as early as about 3000 BCE. When Jerusalem became the capital of Judah and the site of the Temple, it was recognized as the Holy City and the focus of the Hebrew people, remaining so throughout a long history of turmoil and foreign occupation. As the scene of crucifixion of Jesus and the focus of the first Christians, it was from the first held sacred by all followers of the Christian Way. The Dome of the Rock, built in Jerusalem about 700 CE in the area of the Temple, also known as the Mosque of Omar, is believed by Muslims to be on the site from which Muhammad ascended to heaven. According to a Jewish tradition it is that on which Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22.1-14) As the symbol of God's meeting with man, Jerusalem has a unique place in the mind of Jesus as he is represented in the Gospels. He weeps over it and expresses his longing to save the city from the judgments it has deserved for its treatment of the prophets. In Luke and Acts, Jerusalem has a central position. The name 'Jerusalem' becomes from New Testament times that of the 'heavenly city', the antithesis of Babylon. In Australian culture, there is some disagreement on when holy days occur within the same religion. For example, Easter, which is the most ancient and important feast of the Christian Church, celebrating the Resurrection of Christ, has a date which (unlike Christmas) varies according to a complex reckoning calculated by the full moon ranging from 21 March and 25 April. The method of dating Easter was the subject of controversy from early Christian times, partly due to differences in the methods used in Antioch and Alexandria respectively for determining the date of the 'paschal moon'. In 325 CE the Council of Nicaea followed the Alexandrian way, but further divergences between Rome and Alexandria developed later in the 4th Century. The Celtic Churches, moreover, had their own way of computing the date of Easter. Gradually more uniformity has been obtained, however in multicultural Australia there is still some discrepancy among Christians about when Easter occurs. Easter is also the time of the Jewish Passover. Along with Easter, Christmas is one of the two greatest festivals of the Christian Year. The date 25 December, seems not to be specifically mentioned till the year 336 CE. The conventional date is almost, though not quite, universally accepted. The Armenians used the date 6 January. The historic date of the birth of Jesus is unknown and was the subject of some speculation in the early Church. Dr. Porter writes that, "These days not so many turn up for Easter, but Christmas retains its... popularity". In Australia, today the 24 December 2000 CE, the 24 hours prior to Christmas Day, is known as Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas is celebrated, for the lineage of some Christians. Dr. Muriel Porter, senior lecturer and Anglican laywoman, also writes "Some years ago, some earnest liturgical reformers wanted Anglicans to rename the religious observance 'the feast of the Incarnation'. They wanted to 'reclaim the power' of the festival, arguing that the word Christmas had... lost its original meaning, Christ's Mass. It no longer conveyed the... coming of God among humans as the man, Jesus.". Many Australians are children of marriages where two or more religious traditions are observed. Since there are over half a million children in Australia from separated parents, conflict can arise in deciding with which parent the child should spend the holy day. Australia is a mobile society with brothers and sisters living and working in different states or countries. Although interstate air fares have become more affordable busy flight schedules and work commitments may restrict persons traveling interstate for one or two days. Some persons must work in the holidays, such as nurses, doctors, hospital staff, ambulance officers, priests, bar attendants, police, military and fire fighters. So, most families, like it or not like it, cannot be together. The Mangala Sutta states one of the highest blessings is to cherish your parents and your children. How ought we cherish our parents? The Sigalovada Sutta states that we can cherish our parents by "respecting, revering, reverencing and honouring them". A child should
minister to his parents: So, most Australians do not have sufficient merit to cherish parents and children at this time. Many persons send greeting cards to their family and friends at this time. However, the telephone enables families to talk to one another with more ease than letter writing. The Internet allows persons to communicate in real time. Sometimes families come together for other occasions such as sporting events, birthdays, family anniversaries or funerals. Our Members are normal Australians. We think more of our Members can spend time with their parents in a harmonious way than the average Australian. Why? because we have more merit in families than followers of other religions in Australia. The former Anglican Bishop, Jack Spong, writes that he is no longer willing to defend the institutionalised church; its demise is of no great importance to him. He is eager, however, to free Christianity from the shackles of its past, so that it might live in a new form into the future. We do not wish that Buddhist Teachings be free from the 'shackles of the past' as the history, the canons, sutras and other discourses contain Dhamma. When first requested the Buddha refused the observance of holy days as Dhamma has to be practiced daily. On further requests the Buddha allowed the four lunar phases each month to mark the holy days of Dhamma. On these holy days practice is intensified. The main occasions celebrated annually at our Centre are Versak; Buddha's birth, enlightenment and paranibbana anniversary; Founder's Day of our Centre which is also the birth anniversary of our Teacher and Founder John D. Hughes; and Chinese New Year. The first turning of the Wheel of the Dhamma by Lord Buddha to what were to become his first five Monks is so well known by followers of Buddha Dhamma as the full moon in the lunar month of Versak and its anniversary is well celebrated throughout the world. For some traditions, the anniversary of the second turning of the Wheel of the Dhamma that was initiated at Vulture's Peak is most observed. Tradition has it that this teaching, known as the Prajna Paramitta (the Teaching on the perfection of wisdom), was taught to 5000 Monks, nuns and lay persons, devas and innumerable Bodhisattvas. According to Tarthang Tulku (writing in 1977), it is suggested that the fathomless aspects of the Buddha's Teaching, generally referred to as the Dhamma, has numerous meanings, which include: Any element of
existence, or any observable fact So, even if you were to celebrate the anniversary of turning the Wheel of Dhamma, for example, you might well ask are you celebrating the first, second or third turning of the Wheel of Dhamma. And you ought to know the 18 meanings of the Dhamma you celebrate. What do our members do on Christmas Day? Some Members spend the day by selling gifts and flowers from a road stall at 436 Stud Road Wantirna on the front lawn of II-Castello Restaurant. This allows persons who were too busy to buy gifts to obtain them with ease. By cause and effect some are visited by Bodhisattva Jesus. This is because they were good Christians in past lives. Many of them go and spend time with their families, eat food together, and offer gifts, but do not drink alcohol even if their family does. We do this so we can cherish our parents and families. The Buddha taught that there are six unwelcome consequences in indulging in intoxicants which cause infatuation and heedlessness, namely: Immediate loss of
wealth, May you have a sober Christmas holy day by maintaining this precept. Some of our Members have family altars to share merit with their absent parents. What do our Members do when other religions have holy days? They practice as usual. Our Centre does not close on any day religious or otherwise. We practice every day 365 days a year and 366 days a year on leap years. We sell gifts and flowers on St. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas Day. The offering of flowers on St.Valentines Day aids in keeping the memory of St.Valentine alive in the present. There is much folklore surrounding life of St.Valentine. Accurate accounts of St.Valentine are rare with the earliest documented facts about his life starting from the time when he was ordained a bishop of the City of Terni and of the Christian communities along the valley of the river Nera. According to the Italian city of Terni's Internet site it appears that St.Valentine was born at Terni around 175 Christian era during the empire of Marcus Aurelius. From the time of his ordination he became very famous because of his eloquence with which he was able to convert many pagans to the Christian faith. St.Valentine had many followers among which there were many saints and martyrs some of whom were drowned in the river Serra. He was also famous for the many miracles attributed to him. One of these miracles was the cure of the son of a certain Fonteo who held his head in an unnatural way between his knees. Another of these miracles which eventually led to St.Valentines death was the cure of Cheremon, the son of a famous Athenian orator called Crato who used to make a bellowing sound like a cow. In those times it was not the custom for members of the dominant pagan religion to welcome Christians in their house, but Crato even before the performing of this miracle on his son invited St.Valentine into his house, and such faith was immediately rewarded as his son was cured instantly. After this extraordinary event Crato had himself and his whole family baptised, and soon after his own decipals Proculo, Efebo, Apollonio and Abondio decided to follow in Crato's footsteps and become Christians. As it happened Abondio was the son of Annio Placido who was the prefect of Rome during the reign of Marcus Aurelius Claudio. Annio Placido who was very entrenched in the principle of pagan religion and was angered by the sudden choice of his son to become a Christian responded by having Crato, who was his sons tutor, killed. On the same day Annio Placido got St.Valentine, who was by then close to being 100 years old, beaten up in public. This action incited a popular revolt and therefore Annio Placido had St.Valentine jailed and beheaded during the night on the pretext he was a Christian. The remains of St.Valetine were collected by Crato's three disciples Proculo, Efebo, Apollonio, who by then had become devoted Christians, carted it on horses along the river Nera to a place where today the modern Cathederal stands to honour St.Valentine. From a Buddha Dhamma viewpoint is St.Valentine worthy of honour and respect? In other words was he a wise person?. If you are to apply a Buddha Dhamma analysis to this question the answer becomes clear. The Buddha taught his students to pay respect to the wise. What is the definition of a wise person? As the wise do not state "I am wise" one must apply the teaching of Buddha Dhamma in order to come to the correct view. A wise person understands the Four Noble Truths, which are: Life is suffering (in
pali: Dukkha) The eight factors of the Path are: Right Understanding
(pali: samma-ditthi) Right Speech
(samma-vaca) The 3rd, 4th & 5th factors belong to the Virtue Group in pali: sila Right Effort
(samma-vayama) The 6th, 7th & 8th belong to the Concentration Group in pali: samadhi A wise person understands the law of cause and effect. The Buddha taught his lay students to hold a minimum of five precepts, these are: To refrain from
killing To answer the question as to whether St.Valentine was wise, or for that matter, whether anybody you meet is wise, you must apply the above matrix to come to right understanding. To develop a more thorough understanding of cause and effect. The wise actions of St.Valentine lead to positive fruition in his present and future lives. The unwise actions of St.Valentine lead to the negative fruition in his present and future lives. It is therefore prudent for you to carefully investigate any role model you are unconsciously or consciously following. If the actions of your role model result in his or her happiness in this and future lives, then you have chosen a wise role model. However, if the actions of your role model result in his or her suffering in this and future lives then it is recommended you be cautious. So, a long history accompanies St. Valentines Day unlike Mothers' Day which is a commercial venture. Tomorrow 25 December or Christmas Day 2000 we will be holding a Gifts and flowers Stall at 436 Stud Rd Wantirna in front of the Il-Castello Restaurant. Operating the gift and flower stall provides members and friends of our Centre with the opportunity to make merit through the preparation and running of the flower stalls. Through these gift and flower stalls people who purchase the gifts and flowers are also provided with the opportunity to make merit through the subsequent offering of these gifts and flowers to family and friends. Posies made from the flowers and greenery provided by our Members from their gardens will be sold as well as posies commercially bought. From a Buddha Dhamma view point there is virtue in the offering of gifts and flowers. This is because the offering of gifts and flowers is the practice of generosity (in pali: Dana). This is the first perfection in Buddha Dhamma practice. Our goal is to practice Dana. Dana is not a thing to be given, nor is it the action of giving. Grammatically Dana means both giving and gift and liberality, hence, the necessity of retaining the Pali word. The practice of giving Dana or helping should not harm oneself or others. Why do we choose to sell gifts and flowers to offer? Why is it a virtuous deed to make the offering of gifts and flowers? For many centuries Dhamma Practitioners have understood the virtue in offering gifts and flowers to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, Family and friends. The Buddha taught that due to cause and effect there are ten blessings arising from the offering of gifts and flowers. These are: Long Life The Buddha explained the religious practice of certain parts of 48 religions is useful for making merit and developing morality in persons who were not mature enough for the veracity of Buddhist Morality. He encouraged these persons to practice the versions of morality taught by other religions. We practice morality to create a good future kamma for ourselves. Others benefit when we hold five precepts. The quality of a person depends on the number of precepts they hold. Our objection to some other religions morality is that they teach only four precepts. But, a person with four precepts is 10,000 times better than a person holding no precepts. So, we encourage persons who do not hold five precepts to follow four precepts with other religions by going to their temple, synagogue or church. May Christians intensify their practice on this holy day of Christmas by attending Church today. May you be well and happy and have sufficient merit to cherish your family. The authors of this script are: John D. Hughes, Lisa Nelson, Pennie White and Leanne Eames. Disclaimer:
As we, the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., do not control the actions of our service providers from time to time, make no warranty as to the continuous operation of our website(s). Also, we make no assertion as to the veracity of any of the information included in any of the links with our websites, or an other source accessed through our website(s).
Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
References Buddhist Missionary Society (1987) Sigalovada Sutta, Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia. KnoxFM broadcast, our radio talk for 13 February 2000, St. Valentine's day and the elusive quest for love, Our Ref: I:\km\radio\radio71.doc, also at URL: www.bdcublessings.one.net.au Mac Gregor, G. (1989) Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy, New York: Paragon House. Pali Text Society (1979) Katha-Vatthu. Porter, M., Dr. (2000) O, come all ye faithless, Australian Newspaper, News Extra, p 7: The Age. Spong, J. (2000) Did Jesus ascend into heaven...or into orbit? Australian Newspaper, News Extra, p 7: The Age. St.Valentine. City of Terni, (2000) Italy internet site www.fcesi.wnet.it/TernilnlLinea/vita.htm Strong, G. (2000) Shopping for God, Australian Newspaper, News Extra, p 1: The Age. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1993) Oxford: Clarendon Press. Tulku, T. (1977) Crystal Mirror, Volume V, California: Dharma Publishing, p. 23. Readability Statistics for this text Flesch Grade Level:
11.5 For more information, contact the Centre or better still, come and visit us. |
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