Shakyamuni Buddha's Birthday, Bathing the Buddha and Offering Lamps to Pray for Blessings

The 8th day of the 4th lunar month is the birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha and an important day for Buddhists to remember the Buddha's mercy. Legend has it that when Sakyamuni Buddha was born, the earth shook and shone with a great light, and there were all sorts of auspicious visions, according to the Merit of Bathing the Buddha Sutra: Nine heavenly dragons rained down fragrant water from the sky to bathe the golden body of the newborn Buddha. Heaven and earth rejoiced at the Buddha's birth. The Buddha brings wonderfully refreshing Buddha Dharma to living beings with burning sufferings in the three realms and leads them to the path of liberation. Hence it is called the Buddha Bathing Festival.

In Malaysia, the day of the Buddha's birth, attainment of enlightenment and nirvana is known as Wesak Day, and the 15th day of the 4th month of the lunar calendar is celebrated as Wesak Day in both Singapore and Malaysia. On this day, devotees participate in the Buddha Bathing Ceremony organized by Taoist monasteries and temples around the world, which is a great opportunity to cleanse the body and mind of all impurities, and at the same time to pray for the blessings for our beloved family members and friends, and to remove calamities.

In addition to commemorating the Buddha, the act of bathing the Buddha is also a way for devotees to pray for the Buddha's wisdom and for the Dharma water to wash away their worries and reveal their innate Buddha nature so that they can realize the pure Dharma body of the Buddha. Therefore, the true meaning of bathing the Buddha is to wash away the impurities of the mind and body, and to obtain the highest merits.

Furthermore, praying to the Buddha on this particularly auspicious day will bring special blessings from the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. Lamp-lighting ceremonies are usually held in temples so that those who come to pray for blessings can offer lamps to the Buddha on behalf of their friends and relatives, asking for the protection and blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Some Buddhists also sing praises to the Buddha on this day to remember his kindness.

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