Happy Magha Puja Day!

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kirk5a
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Happy Magha Puja Day!

Post by kirk5a »

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.]
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dham ... html#magha" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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.
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.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"When one thing is practiced & pursued, ignorance is abandoned, clear knowing arises, the conceit 'I am' is abandoned, latent tendencies are uprooted, fetters are abandoned. Which one thing? Mindfulness immersed in the body." -AN 1.230
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Zom
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Re: Happy Magha Puja Day!

Post by Zom »

Image Image Image Image Image


:candle: :buddha1: :candle:
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Cittasanto
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Re: Happy Magha Puja Day!

Post by Cittasanto »

I had used the Ovāda-pāṭimokkha Gāthā for an early attempt at caligraphy, however I gave the pali and english translations away as a gift to an Ajahn for his leaving, and never took an image of it :(
so as I have done similar computer work befor I thought I would make a image for the occasion!
Image
it is my translation so forgive me if there is any inaccuracy or misleading wordings!
If anyone would like to print it out or see it better here is a pdf of the image, I unfortunately find it easier to do this sort of work in a word type document instead of a image program so had to do a screen shot of it.
Ovāda-pāṭimokkha Gāthā.pdf
(68.67 KiB) Downloaded 117 times
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gavesako
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Re: Happy Magha Puja Day!

Post by gavesako »

Today Magha Puja (full moon Uposatha when laypeople go to monasteries and keep 8 precepts) coincides with Valentine's Day which creates an interesting situation in Thailand. :hug:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 26901.html

An editorial in Bangkok Post today:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... rrelevance

:thinking:
Last edited by gavesako on Fri Feb 14, 2014 9:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bhikkhu Gavesako
Kiṃkusalagavesī anuttaraṃ santivarapadaṃ pariyesamāno... (MN 26)

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gavesako
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Re: Happy Magha Puja Day!

Post by gavesako »

Māgha Pūjā day marks the four auspicious occasions, which happened nine months after the Enlightenment of the Buddha at Veluvana Bamboo Grove, near Rājagaha in Northern India. On that occasion, as recorded in the commentary to the Mahāsamayasutta, (DN-Comm 20) four marvellous events occurred:
1,250 disciples came to see the Buddha that evening without being summoned.
All of them were Arhantas, Enlightened Ones, and all were ordained by the Buddha himself.
The Buddha gave those Arhantas the principles of Buddhism, called "The Ovadapatimokha".
It was the full-moon day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magha_Puja

The Veluvana or Bamboo Grove was a park near Rājagaha so-called because it was surrounded by a wall of bamboo (velu). The park was chosen for the the Buddha by King Bimbisāra since it was a quiet spot suitable for meditation as well as being in a convenient location not too far outside the town. The Buddha spent the second, third and fourth rain-retreats (vassa) at Veluvana, and after the First Council in the year of the Buddha's passing away the monks who had taken part retired there to rest. Many early discourses were preached at this site.

http://www.budsir.org/E_hist42.htm
http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_n ... luvana.htm
http://wikimapia.org/8331075
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Bhikkhu Gavesako
Kiṃkusalagavesī anuttaraṃ santivarapadaṃ pariyesamāno... (MN 26)

Access to Insight - Theravada texts
Ancient Buddhist Texts - Translations and history of Pali texts
Dhammatalks.org - Sutta translations
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