Buddhist Holidays - 15 Wonders of Buddha (Monlam Chhenmo)
The Buddhist calendar contains a large number of holidays, a special place among which is occupied by Monlam Chhenmo, dedicated to the New Year
It lasts 15 days and is dedicated to the memory of 15 miracles that, according to an ancient legend, Buddha performed in the Indian town of Shravasti The holding of the first “Great Prayers” dates back to the beginning of the 15th century, when the Tibetan religious figure, philosopher and preacher Zhe Tsonghawa determined the principles of holding holidays in Buddhist temples, including Monlam Chhenmo in their list The date begins to be celebrated on the first day of the New Year, and each day is dedicated to one of the miracles performed by the Buddha
According to legend, some time after Buddha became a preacher, he had many disciples Soon six of them left their teacher, hating him and starting to laugh at him publicly, surprising the people around them with various miracles as proof of their words The Buddha ignored their behavior, but one day the disciples demanded that the arrogant false teachers be shamed, who were causing nothing but trouble to those around them The teacher thought and agreed The city of Shravasti was chosen as the main location, where he subsequently created 15 miracles, one for every day, thereby earning worldwide fame
On the first day of March, Buddha stuck a toothpick into the soil, from which a large tree grew, blocking the entire sky and the sun with its foliage Exotic fruits hung from the branches, like vessels holding 5 buckets of water
The next day, with a wave of his hand, the Teacher created high mountains with fruit groves spread over them On the right side of the Buddha, people collected and ate these delicious fruits, and on the left side of the preacher, cattle grazed
On the third day, Buddha took water into his mouth and then spat it out Once on the ground, the moisture immediately turned into a blue lake, where large lotuses bloomed, filling the entire space with their aroma
On the fourth day, at the behest of the Buddha, a loud voice was heard from the reservoir, preaching the Sacred Teaching
On the fifth day, the Teacher smiled, causing light to spread across 3,000 worlds Everyone who received this light received a blessing On the sixth day, Buddha made sure that the thoughts of all people present - both positive and negative - became clear to everyone around him The people praised the unique abilities of the preacher, and some were able to understand the main meaning of the Teaching In the following days, several more miracles were performed
On the last 15th day, the Buddha made sure that all the vessels in the area were filled with food The food in each vessel differed in taste and the crowd enjoyed it with great pleasure Afterwards, the Teacher touched the earth with his hand: it opened up and people saw real hell, where the souls of those who wanted to receive only pleasure from life were tormented Those who saw the hellish torments were embarrassed, and Buddha again continued his preaching
During the festive prayer services dedicated to these events, a ritual of regular renewal of faith is carried out Upon its completion, examinations are held for all monks seeking a higher, honorary rank In the capital of Tibet, Lhasa, Monlam Chhenmo prayer services are held in Jokhang, one of the most ancient city temples On the 15th holiday (always the day of the full moon), there is a tradition of making special figures from melted butter They are used for sculptural compositions of the 15 miracles, which are exhibited in monasteries during the holiday On the same theme, puppet shows and theatrical Tsam mysteries are organized in churches