Full Moon Poya day of Esala : 2553

By Walter Wijenayake

(July 06, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Prince Siddhartha leaving palace in search of truth

Prince Siddhartha Gauthama was the son of King Suddhodana of the aristocratic Sakya clan, the ruler of the Sakyans (in the modern Nepal) and queen Maha Maya of the Koliya clan.

He spent a lay life of 29 years, enjoying luxuries provided by his father, whether he wished or not. He had three luxurious palaces – ‘Ramya’, ‘Suramya’ and ‘Subha’ one for winter, one for the rainy season and the other for summer. However, he was not pleased with these pleasures as he was aware that one day he would grow old, sick and then die. He wanted to find out the answers to all these.

Finally, he renounced the world on a Full Moon Poya day of Esala - exactly 2604 years ago today, leaving all his possessions at the age of 29. The Royal Prince, now penniless and alone, undertook the Great Renunciation with confidence to find answers he was seeking – to attain the highest blissful state of knowing the truth.

He journeyed far, crossed the river Anoma, rested on its right bank, to become an ascetic. Here he shaved his hair, handed over his belongings to Channa – the charioteer - with instructions to return to the palace. He then wore the simple yellow robe worn by ascetics, and began to lead a life of voluntary poverty, with no permanent abode as his own. A shady tree or a lonely cave sheltered him by day and night, protecting him from the sun and rain.

With the bowl in his hand, he went from house to house, begging for food in the city of Rajagaha, the Kingdom of Bimbisara. He was now in the quest of wisdom and enlightenment - to find out a way to cease suffering and rebirth which is the result of craving.

The ascetic Gauthama wandered alone and found two Brahmin recluses to and wanted to become their pupil of. First he approached Alara Kalama, then Uddaka Ramaputra. But they did not satisfy him. He abandoned all those traditional religious practices and methods and went his own way.

At the age of 35 on his own efforts and wisdom, he eradicated all defilements and ended the process of grasping and realizing things as they truly are. And by his own intuitive knowledge, became a Buddha, under the Bodhi tree at Buddha Gaya, exactly 2598 years ago today.

It was on the third month of his enlightenment, the Full Moon Poya Day of Esala that he preached his first discourse, the Dhammachakkapavattana Sutta at Isipatanaramaya in Benares to the five ascetics (Pancha vagga Mahanum) Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama and Assaji.

The Buddha addressed the monks:

‘There are two extremes, O’monks, which should not be followed by a recluse who was gone forth from worldly life. What two? Sensual indulgence which is low, coarse, vulgar, ignoble and unprofitable, and self-torture which is painful, ignoble and unprofitable’.

‘Monks the middle path understood by the Tathagatha (Buddha) after he had avoided the two extremes, gives vision, gives knowledge and leads to tranquility, to penetration, enlightenment to Nibbana.’

‘What O monks, is that middle path understood by the Buddha which gives vision, gives knowledge and leads to tranquility, penetration, enlightenment to Nibbana?’

‘It is this noble eightfold path, namely:

Samma Ditthi – Right understanding.

Samma Samkappa _ Right thought

Samma Vaca – Right speech

Samma Kammantha – Right action

Samma Ajiva – Right livelihood

Samma Vayama – Right effort

Samma Sathi – Right mindfulness

Samma Samadhi – Right concentration

Verily, O Monks, this middle path understood by the Buddha gives vision, gives knowledge and leads to tranquility, penetration, enlightenment to Nibbana.’

Four Noble Truths:

This O Monks, is the Noble Truth of Suffering (unsatisfacteriness – Dukkha Ariya Saccha).

Birth is suffering.

Ageing is suffering.

Sickness is suffering.

Death is suffering.

Association with the unloved is suffering.

Disassociation from the loved is suffering.

Not to get what one wants is suffering.

In short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.

This O Monks, is the Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering (Dukkha Samudaya Ariya Saccha). The craving which causes rebirth re-becoming, is accompanied by passionate pleasures, and takes delight in object now here now there, namely craving for sensual pleasures (Kamatanha), craving for existence (Bhava Tanha) and craving for annihilation (Vibhava Tanha).

This O Monks, is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Dukkha Nirodha Ariya Saccha). It is remainderless fading and ceasing, the giving up, the relinquishing of that craving, entire release and detachment from craving.

This O Monks, is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering (Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada Ariya Saccha).

The significance of the Full Moon Poya Day of Esala to the Buddhists the world over are manifold. The Arya Maha Sangha was established on this day in the personification of the five Bhikkhus (Pancha Vagga Mahanun). Thus the Triple Gem consisting of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha came into being.

It was on a Full Moon Poya day, such as today, that the Buddha, with those distinguished five monks observed Vas during the rainy season from the month of Esala to that of Vap at Isipathanaramaya. Certain other important occurrences relating to Gauthama the Buddha’s biography took place, according to tradition, on the Full Moon Poya Day of Esala. The conception of the Great Being (Mahasatta) in the womb of Queen Maha Maya has also taken place on this great day.

In Sri Lanka, it was also on a Full Moon Poya day of Esala that the great revival, or a Theravada Buddhist Reformation of the Maha Sangha, took place at Kandy Malwathu Maha Viharaya. In a Seemamalaka built there, the Most Venerable Upali Maha Thera, and his assistant monks who came to Kandy from Siam, Thailand a on an invitation from King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1781) administered a valid Upasampada (Higher Ordination) to purify the Sangha. It meant the age of the Ganinnanses, who led worldly lives in temples, was over.

The Ven. Welivita Saranankara who spearheaded this great event, was conferred the ecclesiastical title of ‘Sangaraja’ by the Royal Court. As the historic Upasampada was conducted in the Siamese tradition by the most Ven. Upali Thera on July 17, 1753, the new order of monks came to be known as the Shym Shyamopali Maha Nikaya. This significant historic event, the decadent moral conduct of the Ganinnanses, was replaced in temples with Buddhist monks who observed the vinaya rules.

The laying of the foundation for the Ruwanwelisaya and its enshrinement of relics by King Dutugemunu too had taken place on an Esala Poya Day.

-Sri Lanka Guardian