Wesak Day

Tomorrow Saturday, 9 May, 2009 Buddhists all around the world would celebrate the Birth, Enlightenment and Passing into Nibbana of a truly Great Teacher, The Buddha. The day is known as Wesak.

May all Buddhists celebrate this auspicious day happily and peacefully with loving-kindness. Below is the Loving-Kindness Sutra (Metta Sutta) :

He who is skilled in what is good,

And who wishes to attain the state of calm, should act thus;

He should be able, upright,

Obedient, gentle and humble.

Contented, easily supportable with few duties,

Of right livelihood, controlled in senses,

Discreet, not impudent,

Not greedily attached to families.

He should not commit any slight wrong-doing,

Less that other wise men might find fault in him.

May all beings be happy and safe,

May their hearts be wholesome.

Whatever living beings there are,

Feeble or strong, 

Long, stout or medium,

Short, small or large.

Those which are seen or unseen,

Those dwelling far or near,

Those who are born and those who are to be born,

May all beings without exception be happy-hearted.

Let not one deceive another,

Nor despise any person whatsoever in any place,

In anger or ill-will,

Let him not wish any harm to another.

Just as a mother would protect her only child,

Even at the risk of her own life,

So let him cultivate 

A boundless heart towards all beings.

Let his thoughts of boundless love,

Pervade the whole world above, 

Below and across without any obstruction,

Without any hatred, without any enmity.

Whether he stands, walks, sits or lies down,

As long as he is awake,

He should develop this mindfulness.

This, they say is the highest conduct here.

Not falling into errors, 

Being virtuous and endowed with insight,

He discards attachments to sensuous desires.

Truly, he does not come again to be conceived in a womb.

By the firm determination of this truth,

May I ever be well.

Even by the simple act of reading this Sutra here, you are accruing merits and virtues. In our lifetime, we must try to accumulate as much merits and virtues as possible in order to share them with all sentient beings. Try to commit yourself to doing simple meritorious deeds. Have a wonderful Wesak Day and enjoy the weekend, come rain or shine! CIAO!

SADHU! SADHU! SADHU!