Buddhist Festivals and CelebrationsMain MenuIntroductionCourse DescriptionThe Buddha's Birthday CelebrationThe Lantern FestivalThe Ghost FestivalThe Celebration of Receiving the Buddha's RelicsConclusionHuaiyu Chenfa030198e9d6b717bd810e5a37f350c3b891de50
The Buddha’s death scene in a wall painting from Dunhuang, China
12017-06-19T10:33:04-07:00Center for Asian Research, Arizona State University17687588c7a73a9df1c39ba0f30def766ba6540c194501(The Buddha’s death scene in a wall painting from Dunhuang, China)plain2017-06-19T10:33:04-07:00Center for Asian Research, Arizona State University17687588c7a73a9df1c39ba0f30def766ba6540c
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12017-06-19T10:33:44-07:00Introduction8plain2019-06-11T22:40:28-07:00Keywords: Siddhārtha Gautama, Awakened One, Buddha, South Asian Buddhism, East Asian Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Mahāyāna, Vajrayana, Buddha's birthday celebration, Vesak festival, Karma, Great Departure, Enlightenment, Nirvana, Lantern festival, Dipavali Nanda-dipa, Ullambana festival, Ghost festival, Śāriputra, Mahā-maudgalyāyana (Mulian), Three Gems, Buddha's relics
Buddhism is a religious tradition that began in South Asia. The founder of this tradition is a nobleman called Siddhārtha Gautama, who was born in the sixth century BCE. He claimed that he found four noble truths, which became the foundational doctrine of Buddhist tradition. For his realization of these truths, he was called the Buddha, the “Awakened One.” In his teaching, the four noble truths include suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the eightfold noble paths toward the end of suffering. The end of suffering means enlightenment in Buddhism. The Buddha taught his four noble truths for thirty years before he passed away. After his passing, his teaching spread to numerous places across Asia. Nowadays, Buddhism is a global religion. Buddhists have practiced their festivals and celebrations across the boundaries of ethnicity, languages, and nations. Different Buddhist communities within and beyond Asia have developed different festivals and celebrations for defining their religious, social, cultural, and ethnic identities. The activities centered on these festivals and celebrations manifest many facets in rituals and material culture. Traditional and new media have played a vital role in shaping these festivals and celebrations.