A Vesak Day Celebration in Melbourne
This year, commemorating Vesak Day – also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, and Buddha Day, the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, who is more commonly known as Buddha hit different and anew as I had the privilege to celebrate it with people of all walks of life at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion at Bendigo in central Victoria, Australia. To read more about my visit to The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, scroll on.
“This day is also to remind us that there is always a way out of suffering, as long we are not ignorant, and determined to purify our minds through our thoughts, speech, actions, and emotions, we then can come to realize Who We Truly Are.”
This year, commemorating Vesak Day – also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, and Buddha Day, the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, who is more commonly known as Buddha hit different and anew as I had the privilege to celebrate it with people of all walks of life at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion at Bendigo in central Victoria, Australia.
Before I share my experience during my visit to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, do you know that a stupa (also known as a pagoda) is the most sacred building in Buddhism as it symbolizes the enlightened mind and the path to enlightenment? At the same time, a stupa serves as a reliquary to house holy relics of Buddha and other highly realized beings.
That said, it was an eye-opening experience and a journey of enlightenment for me as I had the opportunity to visit the Great Stupa on Vesak Day during my stay in Melbourne.
The concept to build the Great Stupa in Bendigo was the vision of Venerable Lama Thubten Yeshe, while the idea to base the design of the stupa on the 600 years old Great Stupa of Gyantse (Kumbum, Tibet) was on the vision given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Both Lama Yeshe and Lama Zope were the founders of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition.
Do you also know that the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is the largest stupa in the Western World? Its base is 50 meters square, and it is nearly 50 meters high!
During my visit, I came to understand the purposes of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion which are to inspire people to seek a peaceful and spiritual path, to be a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from around the world, to be a refuge of peace and serenity to those who seek it, to teach and explain the ways of Buddhism and to reach out and serve the people.
With this knowledge, and understanding, and through my journey of self-realization, I am revitalized with vigor and motivated to help those who want to realize and understand the nature of Who We Truly Are to reach their true and higher potential.
Meanwhile, at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, I had the opportunity to also turn the Prayer Wheels, signifying the purification of all negative energies and cultivating light of merits, wisdom, love, and compassion – something the world and we need in this current time.
Another highlight during my visit to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion was the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. It is the largest Buddha carved in Thailand from a rare boulder of translucent jade (“Polar Pride”) which was found in Canada in 2000. The Jade Buddha is 2.5 meters high, and it is built on an alabaster throne of about 1.6 meters high. It was a sight to behold, and the craftsmanship of the Jade Buddha statue showed the skills and a keen eye for details of the craftsmen. The Jade Buddha subsequently travelled the world of 125 cities and 21 countries for 9 years before landing permanently in the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion at Bendigo.
On our way back to the gift shop of the Stupa, my wife and I had the privilege to meet Mr. Ian Green. Ian Green is the Chairman of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Ltd and the Founder of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. Along with his wife Judy, they have been Buddhist for over 40 years. Ian’s connection to Buddhism began with a visit to India in 1971. He has had the good fortune to meet many Buddhist teachers including Geshe Loden, Zasep Tulku, Lama Thubten Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and Ayya Khema. In 1979 Ian completed the month-long course at Kopan Monastery, in Kathmandu (Nepal). Ian has continued his studies under many Buddhist masters to this day. In 1980, Ian’s father, Ed Green offered 50 acres of land to set up a Buddhist centre near Bendigo. This original 50 acre was later added to with further land from Ian’s mother and himself so that the Buddhist Centre in Bendigo is now 200 acres (85 hectares). Ian has received various awards for his international work for peace and is a recipient of the Order of Australia Medal. I would like to take this opportunity to pay my deepest gratitude and respect to Mr. Ian Green for his generosity and dedication of his life towards great merits so that people from all walks of life get to pay homage and experience the energy of the Stupa.
That said if an opportunity arises to visit Victoria, Australia, do visit the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion as you will find enlightenment and inner peace as I experienced during my visit.
And as we will be celebrating Vesak on May 15, let this day remind us not to be ignorant of our Buddha nature that is within every one of us. This day is also to remind us that there is always a way out of suffering, as long we are not ignorant, and determined to purify our minds through our thoughts, speech, actions, and emotions, we then can come to realize Who We Truly Are. On this day too, make it a point to meditate as it is a tool that can aid us in developing both mindfulness and concentration.
Thus, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Vesak Day. Om Mani Padme Hum, may the world be blessed with peace, love, and compassion.
Credit: stupa.org.au
Michael Teh, 15th May 2022.
Michael Teh is a meditation coach devoted to a personal mission of awakening more people to higher consciousness. He teaches self-realization through meditation, qigong, yoga and philosophy.
Michael Teh Signature Workshop: The Essence of Life Series explores meditation as a powerful tool to realize our true potential. Michael has designed multiple workshops in this series to support his participants’ self-realization journey. Workshop Series 1 is currently running every few months on-ground in Kuala Lumpur, titled “Knowledge of The Self and Fundamentals of Meditation”.
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