Vesak Day 2009..

I was at the Kumudra Mediation Center at Chinatown on 9 May09 to celebrate Vesak Day.. Both my bosses and Mr Park the Korean Chef were there too.. Venerable Sayadaw U Eikdibala from Myanmar led everyone on prayers.. followed by the bathing of the little baby Prince Siddhārtha Gautama.. A symbol of inner purification, the tradition is said to assist with the purgation of sins.

Venerable Sayadaw U Eikdibala told us that in Myanmar and some other countries.. Their practice was to watered the Bodhi Tree... Bodhi Tree is where Siddhartha meditate and finally attain enlightenment to be come Buddha.. He told us that he will give a Dharma talk in the evening on why the practice of watering the Bodhi Tree instead of the baby Prince Siddhartha..

Anyway i did not attend the evening Dharma talk but my boss did.. Venerable Sayadaw wanted us to understand the meaning of watering the Bodhi Tree.. If not it is of no use if we only just practice but without the knowledge why we do that..

Compassion without wisdom is pointless.

Wisdom without compassion is useless.

So today i was so eager to find out the answer and my boss explain me, since she attended the Dharma talk by Venerable Sayadaw last night..

She explain to me..
Because baby Siddhartha Guatama was born as a prince and had not attend enlightenment yet.. So there is no significant to bathing the little baby prince.. We should water the Bodhi tree instead..

A universal message that,
'it is simple to wash away physical dirt but it is much more difficult to cleanse one's inner dirt of greed, anger and ignorance.'

Happy Vesak Day...