Meditation Group - Wesak Day Activities

Pictures of Meditation Group performing meditation under the Bodhi tree at the peak of Wat Deva Raja Banphot.
(Gambar2 ahli kumpulan meditasi yang 'Ther Sin' dan melakukan meditasi di puncak bukit Wat Deva Raja Banphot)

Picture taken at Bird Release ceremony..

(Siap sedia untuk upacara melepas burung)

Bathing of Bhuddha..

(Upacara mandi Buddha sedang bermula)

Morning Chanting..

(Sembahyang subuh)

Members cleaning the temple..

(Membersihkan kawasan dalam wat)

Lining up to perform walking meditation..

(Beratur untuk meditasi sambil berjalan)

Food is served..

(Sedang menjamu selera..)

Lining up for paying homage to ancestors..

(Beratur untuk upacara sembah hormat 'saksit' wat dan orang2 tua yang telah meninggal dunia tetapi telah banyak berjasa kepada wat ini)

Listening to Dhamma..

(Sedang mendengar "Dhamma" dari Phra Sumetho (Chao Boy)

Observe 8 precept..

(Upacara "Rap Sin 8" sedang bermula...

Group photo..Meditation Group of Wat Deva Raja Banphot.

(Gambar kumpulan meditasi yang 'Ther Sin' di Wat Deva Raja Banphot)

Wesak Day post update..

Wesak Day Eve..preparations for auspicious day..

Unique & beautiful view...the hill is fully light up with auspicious lamp by devotees..88 steps ..start from the ground up to the the peak of the hill is fully light up with auspicious lamp.

(Pemandangan Wat Deva Raja Banphot bermandikan cahaya...88 anak tangga menuju ke puncak bukit..penuh dengan lampu minyak sumbu dalam gelas kaca)

Wat Deva Raja Banphot had prepared 1,000 holy strings for devotees coming to this temple for Wesak Day celebration.

(1,000 benang kuning untuk penganut agama Buddha yang datang untuk hari Wesak)

Wat Deva Raja Banphot had prepared pack of holy rice to be given out to devotees on Wesak day
(Beras untuk semua yang inginkan keberkatan dan dimurahkan rezeki)

Preparation for Bathing Buddha ..

(Persiapan untuk mandi Buddha)

Preparation for auspicious light..
(Pesta lampu telah bermula..)


The main shrine is fully light up with candles and incense sticks..

(Lilin dan gaharu penyeri ruang..)

Phra Sumetho (Chao Boy) is ready to welcome all devotees to Wat Deva Raja Banphot..

(Selamat Datang semua...kecil tapak tangan..halaman wat kami tadahkan)

Wesak Day celebration starts..

Phra Sumetho (Chao Boy) is sprinkling holy water for devotees on Wesak Day.

(Mohon bikkhu(sami) memberi keberkatan semoga dimurahkan rezeki dan sihat selalu)

Devotees from all over the place came to Wat Deva Raja Banphot..in picture.. a devotee had requested Phra Sumetho(Chao Boy) to give blessings for his big bulk of amulets collections.

(Seorang 'devotee' meminta Chao Boy memberi berkat untuk koleksi replika buddha beliau)

Devotees are lining up to give donations to temple on Wesak Day morning..

(Ramai pengunjung yang ikhlas menderma untuk wat..semoga semuanya mendapat keberkatan)

Smiling faces...devotees are happy after making donations to the temple...sadhu 3x..

(Sinar bahagia dan kegembiraan jelas terpancar selepas ikhlas menderma)

Ready for Bathing Buddha...

(Persediaan untuk upacara mandi buddha)

This small devotee..age 5 only and asking Chao Boy to tie holy string for him on his own..

( 'Devotee' cilik meminta Chao Boy mengikat benang kuning..anak siapa ni?)

Opening ceremonies for Bathing Buddha..

(Upacara mandi Buddha sudah bermula..)

Devotees queuing up for Bathing Buddha...

(Ramai yang sedang beratur menunggu giliran untuk mandi Buddha)

Even though have to climb 88 steps to the peak of Wat Deva Raja Banphot ...this loyal Indian devotee and his family at last manage to reach the top of the hill..never give up!!!!

(Penat!...akhirnya keluarga dari masyarakat India ini berjaya memanjat 88 anak tangga tiba di puncak Wat Deva Raja Banphot).

Bird release ceremony...see video below for full ceremony..in picture..you can see many devotees wearing white...they are the Meditation Group..the group 'Ther Sin'(meditate) on Wesak Day..next update will be on the Meditation Group activities and zoom in to see what they do on Wesak Day celebration..

(Upacara melepas burung sedang bermula...sila lihat video di bawah untuk upacara sepenuhnya..dalam gambar anda dapat lihat ahli2 "Meditation Group" berpakaian serba putih..selepas ini ikuti aktiviti bergambar mereka dalam lampiran berikutnya)

Bird Release Ceremony Video..

(Rakaman upacara melepaskan burung sempena hari Wesak)

Wesak Day - Meaning & Interpretation (yang tersurat & yang tersirat)

Wesak Day...encompass the Birth, Enlightenment(Nirwana) and Passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha. Dhammachak....The 8 Noble Wheels....source: wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sitting Bhuddhas...in meditation postures....source:bangkoktemples.com

Sleeping Buddha....source:bangkoktemples.com

Introduction
Vesak is observed traditionally by practicing Buddhists in many Asian countries like Nepal, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia,Pakistan, India, and Taiwan.[1]

In Mahayana Buddhist traditions, Vesak is known by its Sanskrit name, वैशाख Vaiśākha, and derived variants of it. The word Vesak itself is the Sinhalese language word for the Pali variation, Vesākha. Vesak is also known as बुद्ध पुर्णिमा/বুদ্ধ পূর্ণিমা Buddha Purnima or बुद्ध जयंती/বুদ্ধ জয়ন্তী Buddha Jayanti in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, (Hanamatsuri) in Japan, Seokka Tanshin-il in Korean, Q (Mandarin: Fódàn, Cantonese: Fātdàahn) in Chinese-speaking communities, Phật Đản in Vietnamese, Saga Dawa (sa ga zla ba) in Tibetan, Visakha Bochéa in Khmer, วันวิสาขบูชา Visakah Puja (or Visakha Bucha) in Thai, Waisak in Indonesia, Vesak (Wesak) in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The equivalent festival in Laos is called Vixakha Bouxa and in Myanmar is called Ka-sone-la-pyae meaning "Fullmoon Day of Kasone" which is also the second month of the Myanmar Calendar.

The exact date of Vesak varies according to the various lunar calendars used in different traditions. In Theravada countries following the Buddhist calendar, it falls on the full moon Uposatha day (typically the 5th or 6th lunar month). In China it is the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, coinciding with the first full moon of that month. The date varies from year to year in the Western Gregorian calendar but falls in April or May.

Sometimes informally called "Buddha's birthday," it actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment Nirvana, and passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha.

History
The decision to agree to celebrate Vesak as the Buddha’s birthday was formalized at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950, although festivals at this time in the Buddhist world are a centuries-old tradition. The Resolution that was adopted at the World Conference reads as follows:

That this Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, while recording its appreciation of the gracious act of His Majesty, the Maharaja of Nepal in making the full-moon day of Vesak a Public Holiday in Nepal, earnestly requests the Heads of Governments of all countries in which large or small number of Buddhists are to be found, to take steps to make the full-moon day in the month of May a Public Holiday in honour of the Buddha, who is universally acclaimed as one of the greatest benefactors of Humanity.

On Vesak Day, Buddhists all over the world commemorate events of significance to Buddhists of all traditions: The birth, enlightenment and the passing away of Gautama Buddha. As Buddhism spread from India it was assimilated into many foreign cultures, and consequently Vesak is celebrated in many different ways all over the world.

[edit] The celebration of Vesak

Young novice on Vesak Day Parade Devout Buddhists undertake to lead a noble life according to the teaching by making daily affirmations to observe the Five Precepts. However, on special days, notably new moon and full moon days, they observe the Ten Percepts to train themselves to practice morality, simplicity and humility.

Some temples also display a small image of the baby Buddha in front of the altar in a small basin filled with water and decorated with flowers, allowing devotees to pour water over the statue; it is symbolic of the cleansing of a practitioners bad karma, and to reenact the events following the Buddha's birth, when devas and spirits made heavenly offerings to him.

Devotees are expected to listen to talks given by monks. On this day monks will recite verses uttered by the Buddha twenty-five centuries ago, to invoke peace and happiness for the Government and the people. Buddhists are reminded to live in harmony with people of other faiths and to respect the beliefs of other people as the Buddha had taught.

[edit] Bringing happiness to others
Celebrating Vesak also means making special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. To this day, Buddhists will distribute gifts in cash and kind to various charitable homes throughout the country. Vesak is also a time for great joy and happiness, expressed not by pandering to one’s appetites but by concentrating on useful activities such as decorating and illuminating temples, painting and creating exquisite scenes from the life of the Buddha for public dissemination. Devout Buddhists also vie with one another to provide refreshments and vegetarian food to followers who visit the temple to pay homage to the Enlightened One.

[edit] Paying homage to the Buddha
Tradition ascribes to the Buddha himself instruction on how to pay him homage. Just before he died, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how devotees are expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practise loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.

source : wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nota: Jika ada phi nong chao Thai yang kurang faham Bahasa Inggeris & perlu terjemahan skrip di atas ke Bahasa Malaysia, sila email ke watdevarajabanphot@gmail.com atau tinggalkan pesanan melalui ruang komen berserta email anda. Terimakasih dari meja editor.

Wat Deva Raja Banphot Calendar - Next Event

8/5/2009 - Wesak Day Eve - Wat Deva Raja Banphot wish to invite all devotees to the temple for the Wesak Day Eve prayers. Light refreshments will be served. (Wat Deva Raja Banphot ingin menjemput semua penganut agama Buddha untuk ke wat bagi mengikuti upacara sembahyang bagi menyambut Hari Wesak. Jamuan ringan akan disediakan)

9/5/2009 - Happy Wesak Day. All devotees are welcome to wesak day celebration. Event will start from 10am until 8pm. Lunch and light refreshments will be served for all devotees. Bring your family for blessings and auspicious prayers. Our Meditation Group also will organise 3 days Meditation Camp in conjunction with Wesak Day celebration. If you are interested to participate, please do not hesitate to contact our Chief Monk, Phra Sumetho(Chao Boy) for registration.

(Selamat Hari Wesak. Semua dijemput ke wat untuk menyambut Hari Wesak. Upacara akan bermula dari pukul 10 pagi hingga ke 8 malam. Jamuan tengahari dan jamuan ringan akan disediakan untuk semua. Datanglah beramai - ramai untuk upacara sembahyang dan doa serta menyerikan lagi aturcara yang dijadualkan. Sempena menyambut Hari Wesak, upacara meditasi akan dijalankan selama 3 hari. Jika anda berminat untuk 'Ther Sin'(meditasi), sila hubungi Ketua Sami, Phra Sumetho(Chao Boy) untuk pendaftaran).

10/5/2009 -49th day of memorial function for the late abbot of Wat Deva Raja Banphot, Phra Khru Baidikar Kemiyo. All devotees are welcome to the prayers and sharing of merits for our beloved late Phra Khru.

(Genap 49 hari selepas upacara penghormatan terakhir bagi Phra Khru Baidikar Kemiyo, mantan ketua sami Wat Deva Raja Banphot. Semua dijemput hadir untuk upacara penghormatan dan sembahyang sempena genap 49 hari Phra Khru).