Māgha Pūjā

Māgha Pūjā (also written as Makha Bucha Day) is the second most important Buddhist festival after Vesak, celebrated on the full moon day of the third lunar month.

Why is it important?

Magha Puja marks an event early in the Buddha's teaching life when a group of 1,250 enlightened saints ordained by the Buddha gathered to pay their respect to him. It is celebrated on various dates in different countries.

On the day, Buddhists celebrate the creation of an ideal and exemplary community, which is why it is sometimes called Saṅgha Day, the Saṅgha referring to the Buddhist community, and for some Buddhist schools this is specifically the monastic community.

A monks reunion

Magha Puja commemorates a time when 1,250 enlightened monks, disciples of the historical Buddha, spontaneously came together to pay respect to the Buddha. The monks came together as if by chance, without any planning or prior appointment It was the full moon day of Magha (the third lunar month).

When the monks were assembled, the Buddha delivered a sermon called the Ovada Patimokkha in which he asked the monks to do good, to abstain from bad action, and to purify the mind.

History

In pre-modern times, Māgha Pūjā has been celebrated by some Southeast Asian communities. But it became widely popular in the modern period, when it was instituted in Thailand by King Rama IV in the mid-19th century. From Thailand, it spread to other South and Southeast Asian countries. Presently, it is a public holiday in some of these countries. It is an occasion when Buddhists go to the temple to perform merit-making activities, such as alms giving, meditation and listening to teachings. It has been proposed in Thailand as a more spiritual alternative to the celebration of Valentine's Day.

source: Wikipedia.org

The First Full Moon

M─ügha

Māgha is derived from the name of the third month in the traditional Indian lunar calendar, on which the celebration is held. It is also the name of a star, which during this period is close to the full moon. Māgha Pūjā is held on the full moon day. In a leap year, the celebration will be postponed to the full moon day of the fourth lunar month

A day of Motivation

Māgha Pūjā is a day that laypeople make merit. This is usually done with a motivation to improve oneself in the cycle of existence. Monastics and lay devotees will hold processions, light candles, attending preaching and making offerings of food, as well as meditating and Buddhist chants. Also, devotees will sometimes release animals from captivity. Moreover, devotees uphold and reflect on the five Buddhist moral precepts on this day, which includes avoiding intoxicants.

Observations

One of the most elaborate Magha Puja observances is held at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. The observance begins with offerings to the 28 Buddhas, including Gautama Buddha, who Theravada Buddhists believe lived in prior ages. This is followed by a nonstop recital of the Pathana, Buddhist teachings on the twenty-four causes of worldly phenomena as taught in the Pali Abhidhamma. This recital takes ten days.

In 1851, King Rama IV of Thailand ordered that a Magha Puja ceremony be held every year forever at Wat Phra Kaew, The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, in Bangkok. To this day a special closed service is held every year in the main chapel for the Thai royal family, and tourists and the public are encouraged to go elsewhere. Fortunately, there are several other beautiful temples in Bangkok in which one may observe Magha Puja. These include Wat Pho, the temple of the giant reclining Buddha, and the splendid Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Temple.