May 16, 2010 13:36 PM
Najib, Wife To Visit Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple On Wesak Day
KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to attend celebrations to mark this year's Wesak Day, which falls on May 28, at the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields here.
Najib is expected to arrive at 9.30am with his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Chief High Priest of Malaysia, The Most Ven. K. Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thera, said on Sunday.
He said the invitation was mooted last year when, at a function, the prime minister expressed his intention to attend this year's celebration.
"I sent him an official invitation recently. We are very delighted and excited that he has kept his promise to come and join us in this celebration," he told reporters after attending the temple's "Caring and Sharing 2010" programme launched by Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Senator Heng Seai Kie here on Sunday.
Najib will be the third prime minister, after Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to visit the century-old Buddhist temple.
Sri Dhammaratana said that among the events lined up for this year's Wesak Day were blood and organ donation campaigns, prayers sessions as well as a candle-light procession from the temple to the city centre and back in the evening.
Meanwhile, Heng urged Malaysians from all walks of life to be more compassionate in helping the less fortunate beyond race, culture and religion in line with the spirit of 1Malaysia.
"We need to revive the thought of giving and sharing in everyone of us as there are many out there who are in need of our help," she said.
Earlier, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Malaysia Dr D.D. Ranasinghe donated four corneas to the temple to be handed over to the Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital for the use of visually impaired people.
The caring and sharing annual event has been organised by the temple for the past 20 years. This year saw some 1,000 less fortunate inmates from 27 homes in the peninsula receive contributions in cash and kind.
-- BERNAMA
Wesak (Buddha Day) 9th May 2009
- First Full Moon in May - around 9th May 2009
Wesak or Vesak, also known as Buddha Day, celebrates the Buddha’s birthday, enlightenment and death. It is the most important day in the Buddhist calendar. In Japanese Buddhism, 8th April marks the birth of the Buddha, 8th December his enlightenment and 15th February his death.
During Wesak, Buddhists celebrate the life of the Buddha and his teachings. They remember the night of his enlightenment and his insights into his previous lives, as well as his revelations about the nature of death, karma and rebirth, suffering and desire.
Wesak is celebrated with great joy and vivid colours. Homes are cleaned and decorated in preparation. Celebrations begin before dawn, when devotees throng the temples early in the morning to meditate and take the Five Precepts. Sutras are chanted by monks.
Celebrations vary from one country to another. ‘The Bathing of the Buddha’ often takes place. Water is poured over the shoulders of statues of the Buddha as a reminder of the need to purify the heart and mind. Offerings are made to the monks and the temples, and may be laid on the altar as a sign of respect for the Buddha and his teachings.
In China, traditional elements from Chinese culture, such as dancing dragons, are incorporated into celebrations. In Indonesia, Wesak lanterns are made from paper and wood. Another popular custom in some countries is the release of caged birds, symbolising letting go of troubles and wishing that all beings be well and happy. Buddhists in some parts of the world make origami paper cranes which are used as decorations or sometimes floated down rivers to symbolise the same thing.
Many Buddhist temples serve vegetarian food (as many Buddhists avoid eating meat). Special lectures on the teachings of the Buddha are given, and candle lit processions take place through the streets. Observers are made welcome, both in processions and at temples.
http://www.goodworksonearth.org/wesak.htmlhttp://www.wesak.us
