http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dham ... html#magha" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Magha Puja (usually in February)
This day, sometimes called "Sangha Day," commemorates the spontaneous assembly of 1,250 arahants in the Buddha's presence. One thousand of the gathered monks had previously achieved Awakening upon hearing the Buddha's delivery of the Fire Sermon; the remaining 250 were followers of the elder monks Ven. Moggallana and Ven. Sariputta. To mark this auspicious gathering, the Buddha delivered the Ovada-Patimokkha Gatha, a summary of the main points of the Dhamma, which the Buddha gave to the assembly before sending them out to proclaim the doctrine. [Suggested reading: "Dhamma for Everyone" by Ajaan Lee.]
In honor of that, I thought contemplating the first contact of Sariputta the wanderer and Moggallana the wanderer with the Dhamma might be a good meditation.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Then Sariputta the wanderer spoke thus to the Ven. Assaji:
Speak a little or a lot,
but tell me just the gist.
The gist is what I want.
What use is a lot of verbosity?
Then Ven. Assaji gave this Dhamma exposition to Sariputta the Wanderer:
Whatever phenomena arise from cause:
their cause
& their cessation.
Such is the teaching of the Tathagata,
the Great Contemplative.
Then to Sariputta the wanderer, as he heard this Dhamma exposition, there arose the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: "Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation."
Even if just this is the Dhamma,
you have penetrated
to the Sorrowless (asoka) State
unseen, overlooked (by us)
for many myriads of aeons.