Buddhist holidays - Parinirvana Day

The state of nirvana, leading to unity with all that exists, is achieved through deep and lengthy meditation As a result of this, a person is freed from worries and worries, passions, desires and attachments According to legend, on the eve of his physical death on February 8, Buddha Shakyamuni entered into meditation and achieved Parinirvana, that is, complete enlightenment According to other sources, this happened on February 15, 485 BC In honor of this event, Buddhists in East Asia annually celebrate Parinirvana Day It is customary to practice meditation on the eve and during the holiday Believers visit Buddhist temples and monasteries and bring expensive clothes, jewelry, household items and money In pagodas on February 8 and 15, in honor of Parinirvana Day, the Mahaparinirvana Sutra is publicly read, describing the last days of the life of Gautama Buddha and the teacher’s instructions to his followers On the day of his death, he went into a forest of sal trees and lay down to rest among them, continuing to give advice It is believed that the teacher's last words were: "All composite things are short-lived Strive for your own liberation with special zeal" Buddha meant being outside of suffering, exiting the wheel of Samsara and the circle of endless rebirth of the soul In monasteries, treats are prepared for pilgrims on Parinirvana Day The holiday is international - it is celebrated by adherents of Buddhism in Europe and America These include such famous personalities as Richard Gere, Oliver Stone, Goldie Hawn, George Lucas, Steven Seagal, Sting, etc In Russia, B Grebenshchikov, M Arbatova, I Vernik are fond of Buddhism The teaching has won the hearts of many followers thanks to tolerance, effective practices of learning spiritual truths and the concentration of believers on individual enlightenment This eastern religion annually finds new adherents in the West, eager to free themselves from the hustle and bustle of the modern world The spiritual and political leader of the teaching is the Dalai Lama On February 8 and 15, Buddhists reflect on the frailty of all things and on death, impermanence and imperfection of the world The teaching calls for realizing the need to accept the losses of loved ones and friends, letting go of trishna (thirst for existence) Parinirvana Day meditations provide enlightenment to recently deceased people to help them with the transition to other dimensions and support their souls Buddhists believe that only Buddha Shakyamuni, who died at the age of 81, was able to achieve Parinirvana Thanks to a high degree of awareness and spiritual practices, he emerged from the chain of rebirths - the wheel of Samsara Buddha performed polygamy supernatural deeds because reached the State of Highest Awakening Every believer should strive for this, and meditation and other practices performed on Parinirvana Day should help him