Vesak is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates the Lunar Full Moon Day of May, commemorating the birth of our Bodhisatta, the night he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, and the day Parinibbāna was attained (His Final-Death). This holiday is celebrated by Buddhists all over the world, especially in Theravāda Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. This year, it will be on May 23rd, 2024. You can find the dates here at timeanddate.com

6 Color Buddhist Flag Yesterday, on Vesak, I was invited to go with Sayadaw Kumarabhivamsa, the Tipitaka Sayadaw and one more monk to visit the three very large Buddhas in our monastery and then finally to give water to the Bodhi Tree. When we give water to the Bodhi Tree, it is not uncommon to give pure bottled drinking water to it. Yes, you read that correctly. Bottled drinking water is used to water a tree.

There is a Bodhi Tree on our property and we sometimes do a vandana (chanting) in front of this tree rather than at the gazebo. We did one tonight until a passing rain cloud sprinkled on us. From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from Sinhalese: Bo) and “peepal tree” in Nepal and Bhutan, was a large and very old sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa[1])[2] located in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment, or Bodhi. In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. Bodhi trees are planted in close proximity to every Buddhist monastery.