The Festival of Wesak
DEAR READER: This is the third in a series on the Full Moon Festivals of Spring. This time we concentrate on the second: the Festival of Wesak, a Holy Day in India and elsewhere. It marks the birthday of the Buddha.
"The Wesak Festival stands for certain most definite and clearly marked ideas, and for a great proffered opportunity.....as follows:
"1. It links the past with the present in a way that no other festival connected with any of the great world religions has ever done. It stands for a living truth, and a present opportunity. In their mutual service to the race, the Buddha and the Christ bring about this linking. They also blend the East with the West, and unite in one whole the Christian traditions, the Buddhist and the Hindu faiths, and the aspiration of all believers in the world today, orthodox and unorthodox. Religious distinctions disappear.
"2. It marks the high-water mark of spiritual blessing in the world. It is a time of unusual inflow of life and of spiritual stimulation, and serves to vitalize the aspiration of all mankind.
"3. At the time of the Festival, and through the united effort of the Christ and the Buddha, working in the closest cooperation, there is opened a channel of communication between humanity and God, through which an approach can be made to Those Who guide the race and to truth and reality, and aspirants and disciples can contact energies which are not otherwise easily available." ("The Three Festivals of Spring", MGNA, Box 566, Ojai, CA 93023.)
Buddha taught the Eight-fold Path, which is the Path of Right Relations--right relations to God, and right relations to man, and thus to happiness. The steps on the Path are: right values; right speech; right modes of living; right thinking; right aspiration; right conduct; right effort; right rapture or happiness.
Most of these steps are ignored in the world today by most people and yet it is on the base or foundation built by these teachings that Christ is attempting to raise the brotherhood of man since right relationships between men are an expression of the love of God.
These Festivals symbolize for mankind that which has always been known on the spiritual levels: There is no competition or animosity between the Buddha and the Christ, only love and cooperation as They work together for the advancement of humanity. It is only with our divisiveness on earth that we have created 'problems' between the groups of believers.
Another book I would recommend is "The Full Moon Story" (Arcana Workshops, 407 North Maple Drive, Suite 214, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.) More next time on the Festival of Humanity.