Happy Uposatha Day!

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
User avatar
retrofuturist
Posts: 27839
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings everyone,

Happy Uposatha Day for today (or whichever day it falls on your chosen calendar)!

:buddha1:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
User avatar
jcsuperstar
Posts: 1915
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 5:15 am
Location: alaska
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by jcsuperstar »

isnt it only full moon days? i know the other day i wanted to go out with my girlfriend but she couldnt eat as she had taken the 8precepts...
สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat
User avatar
Ben
Posts: 18438
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:49 am
Location: kanamaluka

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by Ben »

Hi jc
jcsuperstar wrote:isnt it only full moon days? i know the other day i wanted to go out with my girlfriend but she couldnt eat as she had taken the 8precepts...
Here's a calendar: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dham ... a2009.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
User avatar
Ben
Posts: 18438
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:49 am
Location: kanamaluka

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by Ben »

Received this morning from Nirodha Trust which I thought I would share with you...
Message For Bak Full Moon Poya Day
(By dhammaruwan)

Today is the Bak (pronounced similar to the word “buck”) Poya Day, the first full moon day in the Sinhala year. The special significance of this day is that the Great Compassionate Buddha visited Sri Lanka for the second time all those years ago on a Bak Full Moon Poya Day.

The Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka was made 9 months after his enlightenment. The second visit was 5 years later. It was made to settle a fight between two Naga Kings; Chulodara (small belly) and Mahodara (big belly), who were fighting over a gem-studded throne.

Upon Buddha’s arrival, the two kings offered the gem-studded throne to the Buddha. The Buddha, then, preached the Dhamma to these kings while sitting on this gem-studded throne. After listening to the talk, the two kings came to the realization that fighting for material gain is not a wise thing to do. When the Buddha left, the two kings constructed a pagoda to enshrine this gem-studded throne, this pagoda can still be seen today when visiting Sri Lanka.

Thus, on this Poya day, we can think back on how much time we spend in our lives to gain material things, though we may not be fighting for a gem-studded throne. It may be developing our careers, acquiring more wealth and money, and even developing ideas and thoughts that eventually lead to material gain and security. The question we must ask ourselves on this day is: “Is material gain worth the fight?”

Day by day, we do not gain in youth, rather we get closer and closer to one single reality, Death. Each passing second is a step closer to our passing from this world. So, if these kings can leave their fight over something as precious as a gem-studded throne, perhaps, on this Poya day, we can leave aside our differences, our ambitions and fights for material pleasures and develop the thought of renunciation. Even doing this for one day, allows us to gain enormous benefit and kusala kamma.
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
User avatar
retrofuturist
Posts: 27839
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by retrofuturist »

Thanks for sharing, Ben.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
User avatar
Ben
Posts: 18438
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:49 am
Location: kanamaluka

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by Ben »

Hi Retro

Its actually quite serendipitous. Last night I wrote a response to Ven Apichatto's post on the right livelihood thread where I waxed not-so-lyrical about my attitude where I feel I have renounced my desire for success and position and to focus instead on the things that really matter in my life while picking up any work I can (within the bounds of right livelihood). When i hit the send button I got a message indicating the server was down. And lo and behold, this morning I receive the above message from the Nirodha Trust on the subject!
Metta

Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
User avatar
DNS
Site Admin
Posts: 17169
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:15 am
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by DNS »

Ben wrote: The Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka was made 9 months after his enlightenment. The second visit was 5 years later.
Great Dhamma talk!

I have heard that there is no physical, archeological evidence that the Buddha was ever in Sri Lanka, nor is there any reference in the Pali Canon. Apparently, it is one of those "legends" for which we may never know for sure.
User avatar
retrofuturist
Posts: 27839
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

Happy Uposatha Day for today, Tuesday, July 7th... or whenever it is on your full moon calendar.

:anjali:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
User avatar
Cittasanto
Posts: 6646
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:31 pm
Location: Ellan Vannin
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by Cittasanto »

Shaved my head bald especially
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
User avatar
Assaji
Posts: 2106
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:24 pm

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by Assaji »

Happy Dhamma day!

"This day, sometimes called "Dhamma Day," commemorates the Buddha's first discourse, which he gave to the group of five monks with whom he had practiced in the forest for many years. Upon hearing this discourse, one of the monks ( Ven. Kondañña) gained his first glimpse of Nibbana, thus giving birth to the Noble Sangha. The annual Rains retreat (vassa) begins the following day."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dham ... tml#asalha" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
appicchato
Posts: 1602
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:47 am
Location: Bridge on the River Kwae

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by appicchato »

Manapa wrote:Shaved my head bald especially
You're not alone... :smile:
nathan
Posts: 692
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:11 am

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by nathan »

To baldly go...

:alien:

:smile: :anjali:
But whoever walking, standing, sitting, or lying down overcomes thought, delighting in the stilling of thought: he's capable, a monk like this, of touching superlative self-awakening. § 110. {Iti 4.11; Iti 115}
User avatar
Cittasanto
Posts: 6646
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:31 pm
Location: Ellan Vannin
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by Cittasanto »

I am working on transfering the pic from my phone to put it as my avatar I am slightly tired of the old pics (Been using them for 2/3 years now) and don't have many
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
User avatar
Cittasanto
Posts: 6646
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:31 pm
Location: Ellan Vannin
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by Cittasanto »

managed it
http://manapa.multiply.com/photos/album ... ures_of_me" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I have just taken them myself so done my best for posture on the 30 second and stuff for the image of me meditating but obviously that is a cheat pic.

but yes the eyebrows went as well
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
User avatar
DNS
Site Admin
Posts: 17169
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:15 am
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
Contact:

Re: Happy Uposatha Day!

Post by DNS »

Happy Asalha Puja Day!

A very important day, with special significance here. :smile:

Asalha Puja commemorates the first [re] turning of the "Dhamma Wheel" with the first sermon by the Buddha on the Dhamma in this dispensation.

And here at Dhamma Wheel we aim to continue turning the Dhamma Wheel, all credit to Buddha, of course.
:bow: :bow: :bow:

:buddha2:
Post Reply