The Buddha bathing ceremony is one of the most important aspects of the yearly Vesak festival in many Buddhist traditions. This ceremony has long been practiced in India, Central Asia, and China. It is still done in most Buddhist groups around the world as a sign of respect and to demonstrate how happy the Buddha's children were when the Enlightened One arrived on this planet more than 2600 years ago.
The bathing ritual dates back to when Prince Siddhartha was born in the Lumbini garden. According to both the Southern and Northern stories, when Queen Mada was pregnant with the crown prince, two streams of water from the gods, one warm and one cool, descended from the sky to bathe the queen and the crown prince. This occurrence is described in the Great Sutta (Department of the School II), the sutras for Dharma property (Central Division III), and the introduction to the commentary on the original story (Nidanakatha)[1]. According to the Department of Great Affairs (Mahvastu), two streams of fresh, fragrant, warm and cold water fell from the sky to bathe the prince when he was born. Mr. Ma Minh's Buddhist practice is also documented, as shown above[3].
According to the Universal Magical Sutra, nine dragons sprayed water from the sky to wash the crown prince at the time[4]. Many statues depicting the birth of the prince with a dragon shooting water have been created by Buddhist artists in Deer Park in North India and Amarvat in South India. These works inspired the sculptures. A piece of Gandhara School art in the Peshawar Museum in Pakistan depicts two palace maids standing next to the crown prince while Emperor Thich and Brahma sprinkle water from a lotus branch on the prince from above. Four gods stood on either side of the prince, respectfully looking at him.
When the crown prince was born, four heavenly kings lifted him using precious cloths from heaven, according to the past, present, and cause and effect sutras. On either side stood Thich De Hoan Nhon, who was holding a valuable umbrella, and Dai Brahma. Two dragon kings, Nanda and Upananda, descended from the sky and spat out two streams of warm and cool water for the prince to bathe in.
Perhaps the gods' respect for the prince's birth, which is mentioned in this sutra, inspired the Buddha's birthday. Buddhists frequently pay their respects to a statue of the prince's birth in a basin. Alternatively, use clean, valuable brass and place it in the Buddha's shrine or somewhere dignified. Then, bathe the Buddha in clean water and fragrant flowers to honor Him and remember all that he has done for you.
Although no one knows for certain when the Buddha bathing ceremony began in India, it is certain that it began in India and spread to other Buddhist countries. According to the Great Treasure Sutra, Princess Vimaladatt, daughter of King Prajna of Savatthi, left the city with 500 brahmins carrying pots of water to attend a god's bathing ceremony. The group had just left the city gate when they encountered some monks. These Brahmins thought that running into a group of bhikkhus was a bad omen, so they discussed returning. Princess Vimaladatta, on the other hand, explained to the Brahmins, and her kind ways and sharp mind made them respect the Buddhadharma. This story demonstrates how the Buddhist practice of bathing the Buddha is similar to the Brahmanic practice of bathing god figures. Since ancient times, Hindus have believed that the Ganges River is a goddess whose water can wash away sins for those who bathe and pray in it. However, the Buddha stated in the Udana Sutta that neither the Ganges nor the Gida rivers have water that can wash away sins and make people clean. True Dharma practice is the only way to purify people.
Mr. Nghia Tinh (635-713), who left China in 671 and studied for ten years in India, wrote Nam Hai Ky Quy Noi Dharma, which is one of the most important historical records about the monastic practices and rules of the Buddhist Sangha in India at the time.
In the fourth volume of this work, it is written about how Buddhist monasteries clean their statues: "In the western countries (India and Central Asia), on the morning of the statues' bathing, the guru (the monk in charge) sets up a golden amulet and spreads a treasure parasol around the courtyard. Temple, line the Buddha's hall with rows of fragrant water vases, and then put a figure made of gold, silver, bronze, or stone in a basin made of gold, bronze, stone, or wood. While the young women played music as a gift, the monks spread fragrant oil (made from the lute, which is a type of incense) all over the statue and then bathed it with fragrant water. After giving the figure a bath, the monks dry it with a clean white cloth. They then put it in the Buddha's temple and decorate it with different kinds of flowers. This practice is done in the temple by the Sangha with the help of Tho Su. Every day, monks in monasteries use the above method to carefully clean the figures in their rooms[6]. For small or big bronze figures, they use fine ash or brick powder. To clean spheres, they wash them with clean water until they are as clear and beautiful as a mirror. Large statues are cleaned and bathed by everyone in the abbey once every two weeks or a month. If possible, each person cleans and bathes a small figurine every day. Doing so wastes less, but is a better thing to do. It is called "auspicious water" if you dip two fingers in the water that was just used to wash the figure and put them on its head.
The book of Wushu is one of the earliest records in China that mentions the Buddha bathing ceremony from the Three Kingdoms period. In the 4th century, Thach Lac of the Later Trieu Dynasty, who reigned from 319 to 333, held a celebration to bathe Buddha. According to the Cao Sangha story, the biography of Buddha Do Trung, Thach Lac frequently sent his children to temples so that monks could raise and teach them.
Every year, on the eighth day of the fourth month, Thach Lac went to the monastery to ask for blessings for his son at the Buddha bathing ceremony. The Buddha's ancestors also wrote down that on the eighth day of the fourth month of the sixth year of Dai Minh's rule (462), King Hieu Vo De held a ceremony in the palace to bathe the Buddha and give gifts to the monks[9].
Because different Buddhist groups in India held different historical views about when the Buddha was born[10], and because Chinese society and culture changed over time, the Buddha Bathing Day has been observed in this country at various times.
The Buddha bathing event was held on the eighth day of the fourth month during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-577), on the eighth day of the fourth month during the Liang Dynasty (502-557) to the Lieu Dynasty (916-1125), on the eighth day of February[11], and on the eighth day of April during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
The Eastern Book of Dreams and Nightmares mentions a Buddha bathing event at the end of the Song dynasty. On the eighth day of the fourth month, each of the ten largest monasteries in Luoyang held a ceremony to wash the Buddha and give gifts to the monks. Bathing the Buddha is an important part of the Bach Truc Thanh Quy set, and has been done in monasteries since the time of Bach Truong (749-814).
Mr. Nghia Tinh translated the Buddha's Bathing Merit Sutra from Sanskrit into Chinese in the year 710. This is a short text that is only kept in the Chinese Tripitaka at the moment. This sutta has a lot of the same ideas as the Buddha's Bathing of Virtue Sutras, which were translated from India by Mr. Bao Tu Duy in 705 CE. The line talks about reason in particular. Born in the sutra is like the line in
The Buddha Bathing Merit Sutra begins with Bodhisattva Thanh Tinh Hue questioning him on two critical points:
1. Why do Buddhas have white bodies covered in good signs?
2. Those who are born into the world, meet the Buddha, and make offerings will receive a great reward; however, after the Buddha dies, to whom should beings make offerings and what merits should they make in order to quickly attain unsurpassed Bodhi?
The Buddha taught that the Tathagata had a pure form and body because he practiced noble dharmas such as the Six Lands, the Four Immeasurables, the dharmas of fearlessness, and the dharmas of wisdom. He said that the Tathagata became pure by practicing noble dharmas such as the Six Lands, the Four Immeasurables, the dharmas of fearlessness, and the dharmas of wisdom.
The three forms that all Buddhas have are the dharma body, the life body, and the nirmanakaya body. So, after the Buddha died, you should make gifts to the relics if you want to honor these three bodies. But there are two kinds of relics: the body of the object and the words that are said about it. Anyone who wants to make an image of Buddha but cannot afford to can make a very small statue, a small tower to worship re
Those who make these heartfelt gifts will reap the following fifteen significant benefits:
1. are familiar with the three valuable stones;
2. foster genuine faith;
3. a straight back;
4. be close friends while recovering;
5. proof that no smuggling occurred;
6. numerous encounters with Buddhas
7. Always do the right thing;
8. keep your word;
9. by chance born in the land of the Buddhas;
10. In the human world, if you are born into a noble family, people will respect you and you will begin to feel happy.
11. If you are born in the world of people, you will be familiar with the name Buddha.
12. No spirits will harm you;
13. or keep the Dharma in the Age of the Dharma's End;
14. receive blessings from the Buddhas in the ten directions;
15. Gather the five parts of the body of law as soon as possible.
The Buddha said the verse to repeat what he had just said after telling people to live that way.
The second important part of the text is the Buddha's response to Bodhisattva Thanh Tinh Hue's question about how to clean the Buddha picture in the next life. Buddha said that to clean a figure, you should mix different scents, such as ox-head, eucalyptus, frankincense, tulips, camphor, musk, and so on, with clean water and put it in a clean vase.
If two fingers are dipped in the water that was just used to wash the figure and then pressed against the head, this water is known as "auspicious water."
Do not step in the water to get to the clean ground where the figure is. After bathing the statue, dry it with a soft, clean, and smooth towel, and then burn all kinds of fragrant incense around the statue before returning it to the Buddha's temple.
Buddha also said that by bathing these statues, sentient beings in this life can receive many great blessings, have their dreams come true, feel safe and at peace, and quickly attain right enlightenment. After relocating the image, hands must be clasped in respect in front of the incense offering object, and the following verse must be read:
"I'm washing the Tathagatas right now."
Virtuous, respectable, and knowledgeable
May all living things forget about the previous year.
Say quickly that the Tathagata's body is composed entirely of Dharma.
Precepts, focus, and wisdom are the five components of valuable incense.
Suffocating on all ten sides
This incense smoke will never go away.
Buddha put in a lot of effort.
May all the problems of the three paths be resolved.
Maintain your cool, heat without a brain.
Making an unbeatable Bodhi mind together
"Leave the sea of love and come to the shore of great wisdom."
So, the main point of the preceding sutra is about the advantages of erecting stupas to worship relics and creating Buddha images, as well as the practice of bathing the Buddha.
Aside from the sambhogakaya, the Buddha has two other bodies: the dharmakaya and the nirmanakaya. This means that even though He appeared and died in Kosina, His communication with beings in previous lives continued because His dharmakaya transcended both space and time.
After attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, he traveled throughout northern India as a spiritual teacher who was both simple and holy. He taught his disciples and those who were meant to follow him how to taste freedom through their own lives and practices as a teacher and an enlightened being.
The Dharma, not the Buddha, is the most important thing in Buddhism. This is what distinguishes Buddhism from other religions.
Mr. Nghia Tinh mentioned in his diary that one of the things the monastery in India did was bathe the Buddha image. This is not only a traditional ritual, but it is also practiced by monks, nuns, and Buddhists.
It allows practitioners to practice mindful living, cultivate humility, and devote themselves wholeheartedly to the Buddha, or, in other words, to the perfection of virtue and wisdom. The above qualities of each person attending the ceremony will be the most important factors in transforming, taming, and sublimating their consciousness.
But what distinguishes this ceremony is that the practitioner generates bodhicitta, or great compassion for the Dharma Realm. This is the motivation that allows the practitioner to remain true to himself and make a great vow like the sages.
Mr. Nghia Tinh wrote about the meaning of bathing the Buddha: "There is nothing like respecting the Three Jewels, practicing visualization, and thinking about the Four Noble Truths," but the truth is profound. However, because the ordinary mind is entangled with many external conditions, the ritual of bathing the statue is both practical and correct.
The Buddha bathing ceremony is a long-standing tradition and an important part of the Buddha's birthday in both Southern and Northern Buddhist countries. In Vietnam, this ceremony is usually held on April 8th, the Buddha's birthday.
According to the Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu and the Dai Viet History Brief, on the eighth day of the fourth month of the year Nham Ty (1072), King Ly Nhan Tong attended the Buddha bathing ceremony. According to the Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, the king frequently visited the Dien Huu pagoda on the full moon day, the first day of the month, and especially on the eighth day of the fourth month to pray for blessings and to set up a ceremony.
The Buddha's Birthday and the Buddha bathing ceremony were not only Buddhist rituals, but also common cultural activities dating back to the Ly dynasty. "On the eighth day of the fourth month, Man Nuong was born spontaneously in the sky, and his body was wrapped and buried in the temple, and people take it as Buddha's birthday. Every year on this day, boys, girls, young, and old gather in the temple."
In the section of his book titled "Customs," which is about the folk customs of the Annam society, Le Tac wrote about the unity between Buddhist culture in general and the Buddha bathing ceremony in particular.
"On the eighth day of the fourth month, grind agarwood and eucalyptus incense, bathe the Buddha image with water, and offer a kind of cake to the Buddha. On May 5th, a guard house was built in the middle of the river, and the king sat in it to watch boat races."
This work depicts something very different from the time it was created: folklore says that you should bathe the Buddha figure with all kinds of scents, just as it says in the section above about the benefits of bathing the Buddha, which demonstrates how common this practice is in the native people's culture.
Buddha's birthday and the ritual of bathing the Buddha have become beautiful spiritual activities in Vietnam, tied to the country's past. Respect and excitement for the Buddha based on the right view truly give Buddhists a clean faith and real, long-lasting peace.
Tâm Quảng Nhuận translated.
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