Lessons In Practical Buddhism - Sirimangalo.Org

Celebrating A Buddhist Holiday
Whenever we are living the spiritual life and performing
wholesome deeds of thought, speech, and body, that is an
auspicious day, an auspicious hour, an auspicious moment –
even if it is just for an instant, that instant is auspicious. It’s
not the time or the place or environment, it’s the actions, the
speech and thoughts that we perform. This is what makes
something auspicious, this is what makes something special.
We are very lucky to be here, and this is a very auspicious
time and place for us, but it is because of what we are doing,
not where we are.
When I was living in Thailand, every year at the Thai New
Year there was great excitement throughout the country.
We would take the bus and see people engaged in fist fights
on the street, walking drunk in the middle of traffic, throwing
water and ice cubes and all sorts of things at the cars and
motorcycles as they went by. I would tell my students how
the people talk about having a happy new year and always
wish happy new year to each other, but that actually
December 31st is the most dangerous day of the year for
most of the world – the most unnatural fatalities of the whole
year are on that day. Well, in Thailand it’s actually the
second most dangerous – the most dangerous day is the Thai
New Year, which comes in April.
My teacher explains how there is more than one way of
celebrating a holiday. When there is a special occasion,
there is more than one way of using it to bring happiness.
Ordinary people rejoice and celebrate by engaging in sensual
pleasure and indulgence, but how should we celebrate as
practising Buddhists? Moreover, what exactly should we
celebrate? What should we be happy about? Why should we
rejoice? These are good questions, really. We might begin to
think that everybody else gets to have all the fun; ordinary
people have good food to eat, nice clothes, houses and cars,
so many wonderful things that they can enjoy. They can go
where they want, live how they want, and the whole material
world is at their disposal.
Even in regards to becoming a monk, we have the idea that
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