What
Buddhists Believe
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera
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The Moon
and Religious Observances
The outstanding events in the life of
the Buddha took place on full moon days.
Many
people would like to know the religious significance of the full moon and
new moon days. To Buddhists, there is a special religious significance
especially on full day because certain important and outstanding events
connected with the life of Lord Buddha took place on full moon days. The
Buddha was born on a full moon day. His renunciation took place on a full
moon day. His Enlightenment, the delivery of His first sermon, His passing
away into Nibbana and many other important events associated with His
life-span of eighty years, occurred on full moon days.
Buddhists all over the
world have a high regard for full moon days. They celebrate this day with
religious fervor by observing precepts, practising meditation and by
keeping away from the sensual worldly life. On this day they direct their
attention to spiritual development. Apart from Buddhists, it is understood
that other co-religionists also believe that there is some religious
significance related to the various phases of the moon. They also observe
certain religious disciplines such as fasting and praying on full moon
days.
Ancient belief
in India says that the moon is the controller of the water, and
circulating through the universe, sustaining all living creatures, is the
counterpart on earth of the liquor heaven, 'amrta'the drink of the
gods. Dew and rain become vegetable sap, sap becomes the milk of cow, and
the milk is then converted into blood. Amrta water, sap, milk and blood,
represent but different states of the one elixir. The vessel or cup of
this immortal fluid is the moon.
It is believed
that the moon, like the other planets, exerts a considerable degree of
influence on human beings. It has been observed that people suffering from
mental ailments invariably have their passions and emotional feelings
affected during full moon days. The word 'lunatic' derived from the word
'lunar' (or moon) is most significant and indicates very clearly the
influence of the moon on human life. Some people, suffering from various
forms of illness invariably find their sickness aggravated during such
periods. Researchers have found that certain phases of the moon not only
affect humans and animals, but also influence plant life and other
elements. Low-tides and high-tides are a direct result of the overpowering
influence of the moon.
Our human body consists of
about seventy percent liquid. It is accepted by physicians that our bodily
fluids flow more freely at the time of full moon. People suffering from
asthma, bronchitis and even certain skin diseases, find their ailments
aggravated under the influence of the moon. More than five thousand years
ago, people had recognized the influence of the moon on cultivation.
Farmers were very particular about the effect of the moon on their crops.
They knew that certain grains and paddy would be affected if blooming took
place during a full moon period. Medical science had also ascertained the
different reactions of certain medicines under different facets of the
moon, because of the influence of the moon on human beings.
In view of the possible
influence of the moon, the ancient sages advised the people to refrain
from various commitments on this particular day and take it easy for the
day. They are advised to relax their minds on this particular day and to
devote their time to spiritual pursuits. All those who have developed
their minds to a certain extent can achieve enlightenment since the brain
is in an awakened state. Those who have not trained their minds through
religious discipline are liable to be subjected to the strong influence of
the moon. The Buddha attained His Enlightenment on a full moon day for He
had developing and attuning it correctly for a long period.
In days gone by, full moon
and new moon days were declared public holidays in many Buddhist countries
and people were encouraged to devote their time to spiritual development.
It was only during the colonial period that holidays were switched over to
Sundays. In view of this, some Buddhist countries are now trying to
re-introduce the former lunar system of holidays. It is advisable to
observe full moon day as a religious day to concentrate on peace and
happiness by calming down the senses. Many Buddhists observe the eight
precepts on full moon days, to be free from family commitments and to keep
away from worldly pleasures in order to have peace of mind for their
spiritual development. The effects of the moon on life and earth has been
analysed scientifically.
One writer says:
'I have
been reading an article in an American science magazine recently where the
writer brings together the present on the subject of the moon to prove how
decisively this age old object of the skies influences our lives,
particularly at each of the four phases it passes through in its 28-day
cycle.'
This research,
by the way, was done at the American Universities of Yale, Duke and
Northwestern and they have 'independently' come up with the astonishing
evidence that the moon plays a big part in our daily life and indeed, in
the lives of all living things.
We are assured that there
is nothing very occult in this phenomenon put that the phases of the moon
do in fact stimulate various bodily actions like modifying metabolism,
electrical charges and blood acidity.
One of the key experiments
performed to establish this fact was on fiddler crabs, mice and some
plants. They were all placed in chambers where weather conditions could
not affect them, but were subjected to air pressure, humidity, light and
temperature under controlled conditions.
The hundreds of
observations made showed a remarkable fact, namely that all the animals
and plants operated on a 28-day cycle. Metabolism which was found to have
dropped at the time of the new moon was twenty percent higher at the time
of the phase of the full moon. This difference is described as a striking
variation.
Once a nurse in Florida
told a doctor that she noticed a lot more bleeding occurred when the moon
is full. Like all doctors who are skeptical about such beliefs, he laughed
at this statement.
But the nurse, undeterred,
produced records of surgical operations which clearly showed that during
full moon, more patients had to be returned to the operating theater than
at any other time for treatment for excessively bleeding after operations.
To satisfy himself, this doctor started keeping records on his own and he
came to a similar conclusion. When we consider all those occurrences, we
can understand why our ancestors and religious teachers had advised us to
change our daily routine and to relax physically and mentally on full moon
and new moon days. The practise of religion is the most appropriate method
for people to experience mental peace and physical relaxation. The
Buddhists are merely observing the wisdom of the past when they devote
more time to activities of a spiritual nature on New Moon and Full Moon
days.
-ooOoo-
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Source: Buddhist
Study and Practice Group, http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/
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Layout: Chan Duc - Nguyen Thao
Update : 01-11-2002
