What a Buddhaful day!
Today was Hanamatsuri in Japan. Literally, "Flower Festival", it is part of the "Hanami" festival period when the cherry blossoms bloom. Hanami is celebrated from March through May, however today, April 8th, is special, as it is used to celebrate the birth of Gautama Buddha. Now the term Buddha means Awakened One and according to Buddhist tradition, there have been many Buddhas and will be many more. There are even some right now on earth, reading this post....you for instance, and each of us has Buddha Nature. Me and You.
However, Gautama Buddha is the historical Buddha, the real life prince who gave it all up to find a truth that would work for the whole world. Most evidence says that he was a real person, and the philosophy, is a core idea that is separated from the religious views. I won't get into it my description of those ideas, I have in other posts and maybe I will more later, but I know the impact the philosophy and skills that I have learned in my Dharma Studies has been life altering. Quite frankly, I consider my Buddhist practice to be the most important feature of my life as it affirms and strengthens everything else.
So the date of Buddha's Birthday is different in many parts of the world. However, as Leah and I find most of our inspirations in the Zen traditions of Japan, well, we chose today to recognize it. We spent the afternoon outside, weeding and gardening. I laid a stone border on a flowerbed and we cleared the winter growth from another huge bed that will be our butterfly garden. As the Japanese tradition is to have picnics under the cherry trees and walk among the falling petals and reflect, we felt this was appropriate. I had a an apple, quietly and reflectively and then winged the core up among the shrubs where I knew the squirrels would find it.
So thank to Siddhartha Buddha, also known as Shakyamuni and Gautama. He was a real man who looked at the suffering of the world and found that we could choose not to. Simply by letting go of our desire for life to be different than it really is.
However, Gautama Buddha is the historical Buddha, the real life prince who gave it all up to find a truth that would work for the whole world. Most evidence says that he was a real person, and the philosophy, is a core idea that is separated from the religious views. I won't get into it my description of those ideas, I have in other posts and maybe I will more later, but I know the impact the philosophy and skills that I have learned in my Dharma Studies has been life altering. Quite frankly, I consider my Buddhist practice to be the most important feature of my life as it affirms and strengthens everything else.
So the date of Buddha's Birthday is different in many parts of the world. However, as Leah and I find most of our inspirations in the Zen traditions of Japan, well, we chose today to recognize it. We spent the afternoon outside, weeding and gardening. I laid a stone border on a flowerbed and we cleared the winter growth from another huge bed that will be our butterfly garden. As the Japanese tradition is to have picnics under the cherry trees and walk among the falling petals and reflect, we felt this was appropriate. I had a an apple, quietly and reflectively and then winged the core up among the shrubs where I knew the squirrels would find it.
So thank to Siddhartha Buddha, also known as Shakyamuni and Gautama. He was a real man who looked at the suffering of the world and found that we could choose not to. Simply by letting go of our desire for life to be different than it really is.