19th May 2008
Buddha Jayanti

Adorable Souls,

On this auspicious full moon marking Gautama Buddha’s birthday, I convey my earnest wishes to you. The soli-lunar calendar date of Vaishākha-pūrnimā (meaning full moon in the soli-lunar month of Vaishākha) is celebrated as the descent of Buddha. Traditional interpretation and interpolation based on the Sanskritic timeline indicate 1894 BCE as the birth year.

The name Buddha implies alertness. One is Buddha when one is awake in the cosmic intelligence. As you might know, meditation is identified with alertness and one-pointedness. The meditative state is distinctly superior to other states in which one shuts off the intellectual force (also called as the dhî-shakti), such as during relaxation. Whence one utilizes the subtle intellectual force to transcend and cultivate the divine intelligence, one is able to approach Buddha-hood.

Raw intellectualism does not yield an enlightened state of Buddha. The state of enlightened alertness resulting from an inquiry through stillness harnesses the intelligence of a Buddha. Today’s resolution calls for transcending the limitations of intellectual approaches into a heightened alertness.

One shines like a Buddha when the mind is awake from dissolution of worldly clutter, while the heart is brimming with kindness that overrides the bondages of uncontrolled emotionalism. Then clarity and compassion, the twin virtues of the great Buddha, can shine forth. Through a meditative lifestyle, both intellectualism and emotionalism can be transcended towards the higher path. Thus the Buddha way is the middle path, a balance of the head and the heart.

Charitable giving of sesame and/or honey is traditional on this occasion. Black sesame seed treats or unheated/unfiltered raw honey would suffice as gifts by those who want follow the customary spiritual practices. The sesame makes the nerves stronger and cultivates proper flow of subtle energy (prāna), while honey is an elixir for health and a symbol of sweetness.

With my abounding blessings,

Swami Vidyadhishananda