BIG BUDDHA DAY 2016

BIG BUDDHA Day 2016 is Saturday 21 May 2016
 

Celebrate the Buddha Mind:
Sit alone or with friends for 1 hour meditation in public.
Body still
Speech silent
Mind at rest

BIG BUDDHA DAY 2014. Wednesday, May 14.

Celebrate the Buddha's life and teachings by sitting in meditation [publicly] for 1 Hour.
Alone or with friends, just sit...
BODY STILL, SPEECH SILENT, MIND AT REST.

This is an International event and falls annually on the day of the MAY FULL MOON.

Big Buddha Day 2013

BIG BUDDHA DAY 2013 will be May 25.

The May Full Moon occurs from 24th to 26th [depending on which part of the world you are in].

Therefore we can choose Saturday May 25 at 3pm.

This year the suggestion is to gather with friends in ANY public place that inspires you and simply sit for 1 hour together:

BODY STILL

SPEECH SILENT

MIND AT REST

If you would like to communicate with others about where you have arranged to sit at 3pm please feel free to click on the title bar of this post and leave a message below.

Big Buddha Day 2012. Saturday May 5. 630 - 730 pm

Big Buddha Day 2012 is Saturday, May 5th from 630 to 730pm.

Please mindfully approach the grass area beside the 'Bandstand' in Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.

We will sit together for ONE HOUR in meditation. No prayers or speeches... just sitting:

BODY STILL

SPEECH SILENT

MIND AT REST

Please invite people to join us there. And encourage others living elsewhere to have their own Big Buddha Day [check main website for more details].  

BIG BUDDHA DAY IS THE MAY FULL MOON DAY, EVERY YEAR

 

A New Beginning... Big Buddha Day Launches in Dublin!

What a beautifully auspicious, first-ever Big Buddha Day Dublin!

The invitation was to gather and sit together in meditation for one hour by the Bandstand in Dublin's St Stephen's Green.


At 630pm there was just a handful of meditators. Although we didn't know eachother from Adam, we had individually found our way to this place and time so we smiled greetings to one another as we entered meditation quite effortlessly.

Soon - in ones and twos - other figures walked mindfully across the park towards us and gradually we were joined by more and more people. 

There was something very special, very simple, and very authentic in the air. Having come to a damp Dublin park, prepared either to bake or to drown in Ireland's infamous May of Many Weathers, the heavy clouds parted right on cue and the warm sun shone through the gaps.

For sixty minutes of pure and simple joy that seemed to drift by more like sixty seconds, we sat together, the late evening sun's rays casting long shadows across the grass - the trees, benches, bandstand, sitters.

It had been a strange day in Dublin. Queen Elizabeth was setting foot on Irish soil for the very first time. Security, at a cost of 30 million euro plus, was at fever pitch. Already 3 bombs had been discovered. Death threats

abounded and there were riots brewing on O'Connell Street.

We had been informed during the day that Stephen's Green would probably be shut and - judging by the pictures on live TV - it appeared the city centre was a ghost town with roads closed and

ordinary Dubliners being corralled and herded away from most key areas of town.


I just couldn't believe my eyes when i managed to get into town - almost late myself - only to find roads had opened and the Green hadn't closed afterall.

Within minutes we were gathering and sitting: Body Still, Speech Silent, Mind at Rest.
And, as our numbers increased, it was fascinating to observe the reaction [both within myself and among the people passing through the park].

I became conscious that meditating in a public place, being observed by others, is actually a bit like 'coming out of the closet'... something very private becoming very public.

There was a kind of pride at work among us; a carefree dignity.

People seemed to stare in disbelief, but still we sat. School girls dared each other to go between us and yell but we were not bothered by them at all. Japanese tourists took photos. Nearby Spanish picnic-ers took turns joining us, arms outstretched, rejoicing in the sun's warmth. Park rangers - and then a police car - came by just to check we weren't some kind of protest. Ordinary passers by appeared to be somehow elevated merely by seeing us all simply sitting there.
Birds called out to each other. Churchbells rang. And the wind rustled every leaf for miles as the sun finally dropped down behind a tall tree in the far west.


It was 730pm and the meditators were starting to stir and move off home. One or two people who knew eachother already chatted briefly. Others smiled and wished eachother a Happy Big Buddha Day, saying See you next year before walking mindfully away.


Thank you to all those who supported us and especially to those who gathered to sit.


Very much looking forward to sitting together again next year, by the bandstand, in The Green... 630pm - 730.


Next year's BIG BUDDHA DAY will be Saturday May 5th 2012.


register for email updates with your email address on the righthand side of this page...


check out www.lotus-temple.org and www.openspacecommunity.blogspot.com  for similar opportunities to gather and simply sit.

Announcing Big Buddha Day Dublin: TUESDAY MAY 17 2011, 630pm - 730pm

Dear Friends,

You are cordially invited to join us and celebrate the first ever Big Buddha Day!

Often referred to as Wesak or Vesak, Big Buddha Day falls on the first Full Moon day in May and is the most important occasion in the Buddhist calendar internationally. 
On this special day we celebrate the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha.


This year the May full moon rises on Tuesday May 17th. 

Therefore, we are delighted to launch the first Big Buddha Day event here in Dublin, Ireland, and sincerely hope the idea grows and spreads.

Whether there are 10 people [or 10,000!] we will meet and sit together at the BANDSTAND in Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. 




We will sit in meditation on the grass there, surrounded by the most beautiful flowers and trees, for one hour from 630pm to 730pm.

There will be no speeches or ritual of any kind on this occasion.
BIG BUDDHA DAY is a non-denominational event and will be totally inclusive. Therefore it is not happening in a place associated with any one particular tradition.


We will sit in meditation: Body Still, Speech Silent, Mind at Rest.

We are encouraged to develop the Buddha Mind which is naturally open, content and awake.

Our greatest aspiration will be to awaken within us infinite Peace, Compassion and Wisdom and to share that with all beings.

So please spread the word far and wide. But, most importantly, come and join us yourself!


Be prepared for all weathers and remember to bring a meditation cushion to sit on.

If you feel inspired - and are able to - you may wish to make your final approach to the grassy area beside the Bandstand by practising Mindful Walking Meditation to the spot where you would like to sit.

Please help us promote this glorious event by printing off and displaying our simple little poster:

click for larger version