Chairs Homily – May 2025
During May we have our greatest annual event, Buddha Day. This day is celebrated by all Buddhist organisations around the world. In Asia, Buddha Day is traditionally known as Wesak, a full moon day falling in April or May. In some of those countries, a modern tradition dating only from the 1950’s, has been created, with a combined celebration, combining the Buddha’s birthday, his Enlightenment and his death.
In Triratna we stick with the older tradition of celebrating just one of those three on this day, the Buddha’s attainment of Enlightenment. Later in the year we have a celebration for the Buddha’s death, known as Parinivana. I will write more about Parinivana closer to the time.
It is interesting to consider what we are actually celebrating on Buddha Day. Most festivals celebrate a physical event, such as the birth or death of someone great, but on Buddha Day we are uniquely celebrating a mental event. We are celebrating a state of mind, the attainment of a level of consciousness.
This single mental event, traditionally called Nirvana, that we call Enlightenment, is the start of a worldwide religion that came to be known as Buddhism. Without this seemingly rare and extraordinary state of mind Buddhism could be just thought of as a collection of nice sayings, that make us feel better plus a moral code that can stop us from causing harm to those that we share this world with. That would be OK, at a secular level, but it would really be no more than many of the Buddha’s contemporaries who were trying to gain followers and win the patronage of local Kings and rulers. In our modern time we could see that this is similar to the many wellness and health influencers vying for our attention, who offer advice and their personal views about how to live a happy life, which does offer something for those who need some comfort. But without the full understanding that comes with Enlightenment their advice does not get to the root of peoples difficulties and their existential concerns that manifest during a lifetime.
I think Sangharakshita gives an excellent description of the importance of this mental event in a talk given on Buddha Day in 1986.
‘…today we are celebrating the Buddha’s attainment of Enlightenment, which is to say that we’re celebrating the Buddha’s transformation from an unenlightened to an Enlightened, a fully Enlightened, a supremely Enlightened, being. We’re celebrating his realisation of, we may say, the ultimate truth and reality of things. We’re celebrating his becoming the object of refuge for all living beings. We are thus today celebrating something which is of very great importance and very great significance not only to the Buddha some two thousand five hundred years ago, but also here and now to ourselves.’
Urgyen Sangharakshita – Discerning the Buddha (1986)
As Sangharakshita says, the Buddha’s attainment of Enlightenment is very relevant to us all, no matter in what time or culture we find ourselves living. For the rest of his life, the Buddha wondered around North Eastern India, encountering many people, who he taught and advised. Some listened and followed his advice and went on to achieve Enlightenment themselves. We can read their stories and their interactions with the Buddha in the Pali cannon. These stories give us a unique insight into the process of gaining Enlightenment. However, just reading about it won’t make us Enlightened, we have to enact change and make significant progress in our own spiritual lives.
The Buddha’s words, captured in the Pali Cannon, are his way of trying to describe and make his audience understand the mental event that he experienced, and try to show them a way to experience that same mental event, that we call Enlightenment, for themselves. As this mental event is beyond concepts, beyond rational explanation, beyond words, that is no easy task. The closest we come to that mental state is during our deepest meditation, maybe whilst on retreat.
So to understand the Buddha’s message we have to be ready to receive it, ready to engage with a consciousness that may be way outside of our comfort zone. This spiritual readiness we call Going For Refuge, and this is what we are working on developing as Buddhists.
The Buddha was clear that if you followed his teachings and practices you too could obtain Enlightenment. One needs to let go of practices, behaviours, habits and teachings that do not help you obtain Enlightenment and have faith in the teachings that do lead to Enlightenment. So, the Buddha was not the only person who would become Enlightened, and he was keen that everyone be able to obtain this mental event, this superconscious state.
This movement towards Enlightenment is what we can think of as our spiritual path; a practical way for us to experience the same mental states as the Buddha did 2,500 years ago. In Buddhism’s long history many disciples of the Buddha have achieved that exalted state. They have maintained, revitalised or started Buddhist groups of their own.
In Triratna we don’t measure and have to pass all the steps on the spiritual path towards Enlightenment. Urgyen Sangharakshita, the founder of our movement thought it important to recognise the early steps on our Path. So becoming a Mitra is probably our first important step, as this is the point when we decide we are a Buddhist and wish to practice the Buddha’s teachings. The next stage within Triratna is that of becoming Ordained, this is when we are effectively pursuing that path towards Enlightenment. Our goals and energies are aligned and we have decided and demonstrated that we are leading a Buddhist life within the context of the Triratna Buddhist Order.
“For the attainment of Enlightenment, I accept this Ordination”
Beyond these points, measuring positions on the Path or attainments, often only leads to a strengthening of ones sense of Self, a bigging-up of our self-created Ego. This prideful mindset, filled with thoughts such as “I have achieved this stage or that stage” would be self-defeating and just lead us away from Enlightenment towards Self-importance. So a couple of steps is enough to get us going without becoming a hindrance further along the Path.
On Sunday 18th May, Dharmacharini Nagarani, ably supported by her wonderful Dharma study group will help us to further understand the importance of the festival. You can find out more details about the Festival Day in this newsletter and also on our website.
It is also worth mentioning that this study group has now finished the 4 year Dharma training course, which is quite a feat, so Saddhu to them for their persistence and enthusiasm for the Buddha’s teachings. We will be starting new Dharma study groups this year. The Foundation year course begins on 3rd June and is open to all who have been coming along to the Centre regularly. This course is especially important for those considering taking the big step of becoming a Mitra. We will also begin new second-year study groups in the summer for those that are already Mitras.
Happy Buddha Day
Bodhivamsa
