Published On:Tuesday 16 September 2014
Posted by Celebrate Life Style information Blog
Buddhism Today, East and West
While the Buddha’s message is alive in the East, in the West some say it has been scrambled.
Last Friday, millions of Buddhists across Asia gathered to celebrate a rather hazy date, but one with deep cultural import nonetheless: the so-called birthday of Siddhartha Gautama (better known as the Buddha). Depending on the country, the day is recognized as any time from the first full moon in May to April 8, the latter being steadily adhered to by the practical Japanese.
In reality, “Western scholars would tell you that we don't even know the year in which the Buddha was born, much less the actual month and date,” José Ignacio Cabezón, professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told The Diplomat. “So it is really a matter of tradition. Many Buddhist societies celebrate a particular day (usually a full moon day) in the lunar calendar not only as the Buddha's birthday, but also as the day of his enlightenment and of his death.” See at more: http://thediplomat.com/2013/05/buddhism-today-east-and-west/
Last Friday, millions of Buddhists across Asia gathered to celebrate a rather hazy date, but one with deep cultural import nonetheless: the so-called birthday of Siddhartha Gautama (better known as the Buddha). Depending on the country, the day is recognized as any time from the first full moon in May to April 8, the latter being steadily adhered to by the practical Japanese.
In reality, “Western scholars would tell you that we don't even know the year in which the Buddha was born, much less the actual month and date,” José Ignacio Cabezón, professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told The Diplomat. “So it is really a matter of tradition. Many Buddhist societies celebrate a particular day (usually a full moon day) in the lunar calendar not only as the Buddha's birthday, but also as the day of his enlightenment and of his death.” See at more: http://thediplomat.com/2013/05/buddhism-today-east-and-west/
