A different reality
During Vesak, Buddhists are reminded of the reality revealed by the Buddha, the reality to which when one awakens, transforms one’s personality from a self-centered, evil, unhappy, and unwise state, into a selfless, good, happy, and wise one. This is the Buddhist conversion, which is not a mere enlistment, achieved through coercion, compulsion, persuasion or bribery; nor is it a ceremonial religious endowment; but an inner psychological transformation, achieved through “awakening from the ‘dream of existence,’ which begins with an intellectual enlightenment or paradigm shift, and ends in a spiritual Awakening,” which transforms the individual’s character entirely.
The term Vesak is the Sinhalese equivalent of the Pali term Vesakha, its Sanskrit form being Vaisakha. It is the name for the month of May. The full-moon-day of May is a thrice blessed day for the Buddhist, because Buddhists believe that three important events in the life of the Buddha occurred on the Full-moon-day of May: (1) the birth of the Bodhisatta, the human being destined to become a Super Human Buddha. (2) The Spiritual Awakening of the Bodhisatta, which transformed the human Bodhisatta into a Superhuman Buddha. (3) The demise of the mortal body of the Bodhisatta that was known to the public as the Buddha, but, in fact, was not the body of the Buddha, because a Buddha does not have a body, mind or soul. Nor can he be born, grow old, fall sick, or die, because he has awakened from the dream of existence. Once awake, he does not exist anymore.
The foregoing statements are somewhat confusing to most readers. Therefore, they need further clarification. Let us begin by explaining the meaning of (1) the birth of a Bodhisatta, (2) the Awakening of a Bodhisatta to become a Buddha, and (3) the passing away of the mortal body of the Bodhisatta that appeared to be a Buddha.