Vesak is being celebrated today at the Bhavana Society Buddhist Monastery and retreat center in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The exact date of Vesak Day varies according to the various lunar calendars used in different countries and traditions. In Theravada countries following the Buddhist calendar, it falls on the full moon Uposatha day (typically the 5th or 6th lunar month), as this website explains: “Commonly called ‘Buddha’s Birthday’, Vesak is actually the celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha and, unlike the birth and death of Christ, is celebrated as one occasion.
Below are some images sent out as Vesak greetings from Bhante Seelananda, a monk at the Bhavana Society. Click the images large. They’re pretty cool.
