Sunday, 18 May 2008

Buddhists celebrate Visakha Puja

Quad-City Times
By Mary Louise Speer
Saturday, May 17, 2008

The venerable Somnieng Hoeurn, a Buddhist monk from Cambodia, welcomed visitors to his Rock Island home Saturday for a celebration of Visakha Puja, or Happy Buddha Day.“You see flowers and the candles.

The candle, or the light, it is a symbol of enlightenment, that the teachings of the Buddha are a way to find peace and happiness in our life,” he said.

Saturday’s gathering marked the beginning of a three-day observance of the day Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 BC. During the three days, people meditate and practice the precepts taught by the Buddha.

“This is an important day for Buddhists to do good deeds,” he said.

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