Buddha Purnima 2020: How and Why we celebrate Buddha Purnima

                          

Buddha Purnima of Vaishakh month is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Gautama Buddha. The birth name of Gautama Buddha was Siddharth Gautama. Gautama Buddha was a spiritual teacher whose teachings established Buddhism.

There are many differences regarding the time of birth and death of Gautama Buddha, hence his date of birth is uncertain. However, most historians attribute the lifetime of the Buddha to 563–483 BC. Is considered to be the middle of Most people consider the place called Lumbini in Nepal to be the birthplace of Buddha. Buddha died at the age of 80 in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.

For Buddhists, the place called Bodh Gaya is the most important pilgrimage site related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Apart from Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar, Lumbini and Sarnath are also three other important pilgrimage centers. 

It is believed that Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya and he first taught religion in Sarnath. It is believed that Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment on this day.

Buddha Purnima is also known as Buddha Jayanti and Vaishakh. In North India, Buddha is considered the 9th avatar of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna is the 8th avatar. However, Buddha has never been considered an incarnation of Vishnu in South Indian belief.

In South India, Balarama is considered as the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Krishna as the 9th avatar.

Balarama is counted as an incarnation of Vishnu by the majority of Vaishnava movements. Even Buddhists do not consider Buddha an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. On the full moon(Purnima), the devotess believe in narrating the Saga of Lord "Satyanarayana". On Thursday and full moon, Lord Vishnu is worshiped,  and the day is believed to be fasted.

Buddha Purnima Time

Buddha Purnima on Thursday, May 7, 2020
Full Moon Date Start - 06 May 2020 at 19:44
Full moon date ends - 07 May 2020 at 4:14 pm

Also Read: The Life Story of Lord Gautam Buddha: Biography and Works

How to worship on the day of Buddha Purnima

- Get up before the sun rises and clean the house.
- Take a bath in the Ganges or sprinkle Ganga water by taking a bath with plain water.
- In the temple of the house, worship Lord Vishnu by lighting a lamp and decorate the house with flowers.
- Make a swastika with turmeric, roli or kumkum and sprinkle Ganga water at the main entrance of the house.
- Light a lamp around the Bodhi tree and offer flowers by immersing milk in its roots.
- Donate food and clothes to the poor.
- If you have any birds in your house, set them free today.
- After lighting up, offer water to the rising moon.