The Buddha's Birthday in Wollongong

Different Buddhist groups celebrate this event on different dates. Living in the Western world, one can either follow a set lineage and share their preferred option, or select a date suited to ones lifestyle on which to celebrate. Celebrations here vary between Buddhist lineages, allowing one to participate in various activities. The majority of Buddhists in the Western world appear to celebrate on the full moon day of May, but others will select alternate dates.

Personally, I choose to spend some time in reflection on the full moon day of May and to also partial-fast the day before and fully-feast on the day itself - in recognition of the gain of the event and previous lackage. However, as I do not have a specific local temple with which to celebrate, if I can find any local activities concerning the event of the Buddha's birthday, I will also attend these. This year, the event was celebrated in the local mall on May 23 by the Nan Tien Temple, so I was able to walk down the street and support the event. I might not have discovered the event at all, had I not taken an excursion the previous day, and, on my return, discovered decorations being hung up in the mall, a trio of nuns standing about, and a giant Buddha figure on the stage. Sometimes the event is only held in Sydney, making it expensive and difficult for me to attend. When it is held locally, I like to support fellow Buddhists of the local community, even if I do not follow their precise lineage.

I was pleased to find a stall selling Buddhist literature among the many that occupied the mall. Two years ago, when the event was celebrated in the park across the street from our home, I had not had enough money to buy a book, but this year, I had some money left over from my birthday gifts and was able to select one. Whilst I do not directly follow the teachings of the Buddhist group that hosted the event, I do like to read literature and teachings from as wide a range of Buddhist sources as possible.

I arrived in time to catch the initial Lion Dance, and follow the Bathing the Buddha ceremony, along with the multicultural prayers, Abbess's speech, and a vocal performance. Having friends and family from multiple faiths, this multicultural aspect is important to me. I then hopped back home to feed my pigeons, before returning to munch a snack (I had already eaten my daily meal before attending) and observe the second Lion Dance performance.

I stayed to view the multi-cultural performances, which included a local classical school band, Indian dancing, a keyboardist who played ambient melodies, and the temple choir. Whilst there remained a couple more activities after a short break, I do not keep conventional hours, and having been awake since 1am, decided to return home to read before my bedtime.