The Covid-19 pandemic has already resulted in pain and suffering that is most likely to linger on for decades, and it is, despite being extremely unfortunate, still a reality we cannot escape from.
After years, if not decades, Sri Lanka saw a different type of Vesak festival yesterday (26), which involved ruminating on the fact that pain and suffering of any form are inevitable truths the Buddha explained as part of his teachings. One might point out that the Vesak of 2020 was also affected by the pandemic and thereby confined to the homefront. However, that was amidst a nationwide curfew that nobody was prepared for and as such, most people had not been out of their homes in at least three weeks prior, meaning that there were few ways to mark Vesak even in their homes. However, for a Buddhist population far more used to lockdowns and far more familiar with the extent of the pandemic, this year’s Vesak provides an opportunity for reflection and meditation. Evidently, this year’s Vesak festival was an opportunity for Buddhists to refrain from all the noise and festivities that had become a part of the Vesak festival, and instead, enjoy the satisfaction of commemorating Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing with the necessary simplicity.
The manner in which Buddhism evolved and has been commercialised over the years has sidetracked Buddhists from those truths. The Vesak festival is Sri Lanka’s largest religious festival, and there are a number of activities such as rituals and customs of which the basis is this festival. Even though it can be assumed that the majority of the country’s Buddhist population have come to terms with the grounds on which a lockdown was imposed during the Vesak season, some feel that the fact that there was no Vesak festival this year, is a huge problem. The fact of the matter is, the Vesak festival was never based on – nor required – commercialised celebrations. It is an event for Buddhists to pay homage to the Buddha and to reflect on the Buddha’s teachings.
A similar sentiment said to have been expressed by a famous Buddhist monk was circulated on social media platforms recently, which stated: “Buddhists did not lose Vesak (owing to the Covid-19 pandemic), they only lost the celebration called Vesak.” Can anything about this year’s Vesak, or the concept of paying homage to the Buddha for that matter, be truer? Only to a true Buddhist, whose status of being a Buddhist only involves following the Buddha’s teachings, will this resonate with.
Like any other religion, or tradition and culture surrounding a religion, Buddhism too evolved and was commercialised over the period of the past two millennia, and a number of elements that were not even remotely a part of the philosophy the Buddha preached, were invented by the people. As a matter of fact, it is how a philosophy taught by the Buddha turned into a religion called Buddhism. As a result, the people who understood the teachings behind that philosophy gradually turned into a religious community, who prioritised, blindly following the Buddha and Buddhism, the very antithesis of the Buddha’s teachings, instead of trying to understand and employ the teachings of the Buddha.
Similar to the Buddha wanting the people to understand that the only permanent truth in the universe and life is nothing but impermanency or change, when looking at the commercialisation of Buddhism from that perspective, a true Buddhist would concur with the fact that the commercialisation of Buddhism too, is yet another unfortunate but inevitable development that emphasises the Buddha’s original teachings.
That is not the worst consequence of the commercialisation of Buddhism, however. The biggest damage it did to Buddhism – and those who are genuinely keen on embracing Buddhism as a way of life – was that it compelled the people to disengage from the true essence of what the Buddha taught. Moreover, various new rituals that do not represent any part of Buddhism, nor help the people attain the ultimate state of peace and nirvana, are also adverse results of the commercialisation of Buddhism.
It would not be an overstatement to say that the Covid-19 pandemic is worse than any natural or man-made disaster the world underwent in the past few decades, and it continues to worsen. However, the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic boil down to not one but several realities of life the Buddha taught, including the inevitable change and one of the truths i.e. dukkha (suffering), and this year’s Vesak festival actually gave the people a chance to be closer to those truths.
As mentioned above, Buddhists did not lose the Vesak festival; they only lost the highly commercialised celebration that is now called Vesak.
The real Vesak
27 May 2021
The real Vesak
27 May 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has already resulted in pain and suffering that is most likely to linger on for decades, and it is, despite being extremely unfortunate, still a reality we cannot escape from.
After years, if not decades, Sri Lanka saw a different type of Vesak festival yesterday (26), which involved ruminating on the fact that pain and suffering of any form are inevitable truths the Buddha explained as part of his teachings. One might point out that the Vesak of 2020 was also affected by the pandemic and thereby confined to the homefront. However, that was amidst a nationwide curfew that nobody was prepared for and as such, most people had not been out of their homes in at least three weeks prior, meaning that there were few ways to mark Vesak even in their homes. However, for a Buddhist population far more used to lockdowns and far more familiar with the extent of the pandemic, this year’s Vesak provides an opportunity for reflection and meditation. Evidently, this year’s Vesak festival was an opportunity for Buddhists to refrain from all the noise and festivities that had become a part of the Vesak festival, and instead, enjoy the satisfaction of commemorating Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing with the necessary simplicity.
The manner in which Buddhism evolved and has been commercialised over the years has sidetracked Buddhists from those truths. The Vesak festival is Sri Lanka’s largest religious festival, and there are a number of activities such as rituals and customs of which the basis is this festival. Even though it can be assumed that the majority of the country’s Buddhist population have come to terms with the grounds on which a lockdown was imposed during the Vesak season, some feel that the fact that there was no Vesak festival this year, is a huge problem. The fact of the matter is, the Vesak festival was never based on – nor required – commercialised celebrations. It is an event for Buddhists to pay homage to the Buddha and to reflect on the Buddha’s teachings.
A similar sentiment said to have been expressed by a famous Buddhist monk was circulated on social media platforms recently, which stated: “Buddhists did not lose Vesak (owing to the Covid-19 pandemic), they only lost the celebration called Vesak.” Can anything about this year’s Vesak, or the concept of paying homage to the Buddha for that matter, be truer? Only to a true Buddhist, whose status of being a Buddhist only involves following the Buddha’s teachings, will this resonate with.
Like any other religion, or tradition and culture surrounding a religion, Buddhism too evolved and was commercialised over the period of the past two millennia, and a number of elements that were not even remotely a part of the philosophy the Buddha preached, were invented by the people. As a matter of fact, it is how a philosophy taught by the Buddha turned into a religion called Buddhism. As a result, the people who understood the teachings behind that philosophy gradually turned into a religious community, who prioritised, blindly following the Buddha and Buddhism, the very antithesis of the Buddha’s teachings, instead of trying to understand and employ the teachings of the Buddha.
Similar to the Buddha wanting the people to understand that the only permanent truth in the universe and life is nothing but impermanency or change, when looking at the commercialisation of Buddhism from that perspective, a true Buddhist would concur with the fact that the commercialisation of Buddhism too, is yet another unfortunate but inevitable development that emphasises the Buddha’s original teachings.
That is not the worst consequence of the commercialisation of Buddhism, however. The biggest damage it did to Buddhism – and those who are genuinely keen on embracing Buddhism as a way of life – was that it compelled the people to disengage from the true essence of what the Buddha taught. Moreover, various new rituals that do not represent any part of Buddhism, nor help the people attain the ultimate state of peace and nirvana, are also adverse results of the commercialisation of Buddhism.
It would not be an overstatement to say that the Covid-19 pandemic is worse than any natural or man-made disaster the world underwent in the past few decades, and it continues to worsen. However, the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic boil down to not one but several realities of life the Buddha taught, including the inevitable change and one of the truths i.e. dukkha (suffering), and this year’s Vesak festival actually gave the people a chance to be closer to those truths.
As mentioned above, Buddhists did not lose the Vesak festival; they only lost the highly commercialised celebration that is now called Vesak.
Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!