DHARMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE

By Nhat Quan

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Among the 12 full moons, the full moon in January has many meanings with many different names such as:

- Night of fifteen days of January of the lunar month.

- The fifteenth of the first moon.

This name originates from the exchange and reception of Chinese culture and has a harmonious combination with indigenous culture.

According to Confucianism in ancient times, this day is also called the New Year of the top performers in the National Exams. On the occasion of the bright moon of the first year, the king held a grand party in the royal garden, summoned the top scholars to attend the festival, enjoy the scenery, see flowers, compose poems, praise the beauty of nature and the king's grace that brought peace and prosperity. Since then, the festival Night of the fifteen days of January, the lunar month, has been widely circulated among the people.

On the night of New Year Night of fifteenth day of the January lunar month, people make many different lanterns. The reason why people make lanterns of different sizes, according to the first legend, is that:

- Once upon a time, a swan flew down from heaven to the human world and was shot dead by a hunter. To avenge the swan, the Jade Emperor sent a heavenly army to burn all humans and animals in the human world on January 15. Fortunately for humans, some gods in heaven did not agree with the Jade Emperor's somewhat heavy-handed decision. They risked their lives to come down to the human world to advise the living beings. So on that day, every house hung lanterns and set off fireworks to make it seem like their houses were set on fire. Thanks to that, humans were able to escape destruction.

The second legend tells that, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there was a young girl living in the palace who was forbidden to visit her parents. On January 15, she intended to jump into a well to commit suicide. Touched by the girl's filial piety, a close official thought of a plan to help her. He told Emperor Wu of Han that on January 16, the God of Heaven would send the Fire God to burn down the capital. To avoid that disaster, everyone had to hang lanterns in front of their houses and on the streets on the 15th. According to Emperor Wu of Han's order, every house hung lanterns that day. While everyone was busy admiring those beautiful lanterns, the young girl sneaked home to visit her parents without anyone knowing.

Both stories above are just legends. According to Chinese scholars, the Lantern Festival originated from the tradition of using fire to celebrate the festival and ward off bad luck for the people of this country. On this day, not only lanterns are displayed, but on this day people also make large square sticky rice cakes. Therefore, in many places, the Lantern Festival is also called the Large Square Sticky Rice Cake Festival. However, no matter what the name is, this is considered a very important holiday for the Chinese people, an important part of the Lunar New Year. However, since Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has taken on different religious colors. Buddhists also consider this day to commemorate Buddha, while Taoists use this day to celebrate the birthday of the Fire God. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, many temples set up altars, chant, and dedicate merits at the beginning of the year, hoping for peace and happiness.

The full moon of January, also known as the Night of fifteen days of January of the lunar month and the fifteenth of the first moon is a traditional festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The full moon of January in Vietnam blends elements of Buddhism and folk beliefs. This is an occasion for you to go to the temple to pray for good luck for yourself and your family. Because this day is the first full moon of the new year, a suitable time to pray for peace for the whole year, it attracts the attention and participation of many Buddhists and people. Therefore, there is a saying:

- Worshiping Buddha all year round is not as good as worshiping Buddha on the full moon of January

This shows everyone the importance of the full moon festival.

The full moon festival in January focuses on the ceremony to pray for national peace and security, health, abundance, prosperity, and development for the people and the country. Therefore, more and more people go to the temple to worship Buddha. Meaning of Full Moon in January

Among the 12 full moons, the full moon in January has many meanings with many different names such as:

- Night of fifteen days of January of the lunar month.

- The fifteenth of the first moon.

This name originates from the exchange and reception of Chinese culture and has a harmonious combination with indigenous culture.

According to Confucianism in ancient times, this day is also called the New Year of the top performers in the National Exams. On the occasion of the bright moon of the first year, the king held a grand party in the royal garden, summoned the top scholars to attend the festival, enjoy the scenery, see flowers, compose poems, praise the beauty of nature and the king's grace that brought peace and prosperity. Since then, the festival Night of the fifteen days of January, the lunar month, has been widely circulated among the people.

On the night of New Year Night of fifteenth day of the January lunar month, people make many different lanterns. The reason why people make lanterns of different sizes, according to the first legend, is that:

- Once upon a time, a swan flew down from heaven to the human world and was shot dead by a hunter. To avenge the swan, the Jade Emperor sent a heavenly army to burn all humans and animals in the human world on January 15. Fortunately for humans, some gods in heaven did not agree with the Jade Emperor's somewhat heavy-handed decision. They risked their lives to come down to the human world to advise the living beings. So on that day, every house hung lanterns and set off fireworks to make it seem like their houses were set on fire. Thanks to that, humans were able to escape destruction.

The second legend tells that, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there was a young girl living in the palace who was forbidden to visit her parents. On January 15, she intended to jump into a well to commit suicide. Touched by the girl's filial piety, a close official thought of a plan to help her. He told Emperor Wu of Han that on January 16, the God of Heaven would send the Fire God to burn down the capital. To avoid that disaster, everyone had to hang lanterns in front of their houses and on the streets on the 15th. According to Emperor Wu of Han's order, every house hung lanterns that day. While everyone was busy admiring those beautiful lanterns, the young girl sneaked home to visit her parents without anyone knowing.

Both stories above are just legends. According to Chinese scholars, the Lantern Festival originated from the tradition of using fire to celebrate the festival and ward off bad luck for the people of this country. On this day, not only lanterns are displayed, but on this day people also make large square sticky rice cakes. Therefore, in many places, the Lantern Festival is also called the Large Square Sticky Rice Cake Festival. However, no matter what the name is, this is considered a very important holiday for the Chinese people, an important part of the Lunar New Year. However, since Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has taken on different religious colors. Buddhists also consider this day to commemorate Buddha, while Taoists use this day to celebrate the birthday of the Fire God. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, many temples set up altars, chant, and dedicate merits at the beginning of the year, hoping for peace and happiness.

The full moon of January, also known as the Night of fifteen days of January of the lunar month and the fifteenth of the first moon is a traditional festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The full moon of January in Vietnam blends elements of Buddhism and folk beliefs. This is an occasion for you to go to the temple to pray for good luck for yourself and your family. Because this day is the first full moon of the new year, a suitable time to pray for peace for the whole year, it attracts the attention and participation of many Buddhists and people. Therefore, there is a saying:

- Worshiping Buddha all year round is not as good as worshiping Buddha on the full moon of January

This shows everyone the importance of the full moon festival.

The full moon festival in January focuses on the ceremony to pray for national peace and security, health, abundance, prosperity, and development for the people and the country. Therefore, more and more people go to the temple to worship Buddha.

The full moon of January does not require a ceremony at the temple or home, but because the nature of praying for peace at the temple is only general, most people, in addition to going to the temple, still do it at home. Just pay attention that the offerings at home do not need to be as big and solemn as the last day of the year.

Also in the process of cultural exchange, Buddhism was introduced to Vietnam in the first centuries AD and this cultural tradition was accepted into our country. Therefore, the full moon of the January festival blends into the local culture to create a grand and unique festival. However, according to Buddhist tradition, the full moon of the January festival also has a very great meaning. This festival in Pali is also called Māgha Pūjā with two important events associated with the life and propagation of the Buddha's Dharma:

1- This is the gathering day of 1250 holy monks, in the city of Rajagrha, without any prior summons or planning.

2- This day is also the day the Buddha turned 80 years old, and he promised the Devil King that he would enter Nirvana in exactly 3 months. On this occasion, he preached the Ovādapātimokha Sutta with the advice of the Compassionate Father:

- Do not commit any evil deeds,                                                            

Achieve good deeds,

Keep your mind pure,

That is the Buddha's teachings"

The above teachings are only declared by the Buddha's tradition when four conditions are met:

- Nine months since the Buddha's enlightenment.

- All come by themselves

- All are great monks

- All have attained the Six Supernatural Powers

Content of the conference:

- The Buddha declared the two chiefs: Sariputra and Maudgalyayana.

- Upholding the teachings

There are two types of teachings:

1- Upholding the teachings such as:

- Encouraging patient practice

- Not doing any evil

- Not slandering others

2- Upholding the precepts

Twice a month on the 15th and 30th. All must participate in preaching and teaching to maintain the Buddhist teachings, making the long-standing teachings spread more widely among the people

Indeed, in life and people in society, although multifaceted, in any case, the most necessary material to nourish people in life is still love. Buddhism is the religion of compassion and wisdom. That light shines into people's hearts, dispelling the veil of ignorance, selfishness, jealousy, greed, anger, and delusion, to together create a peaceful and happy life, and build good virtues, a virtue of selflessness and altruism.

With such great meanings, pagodas and institutes simultaneously organize the full moon worship ceremony in January, praying for national peace and prosperity, social peace, and happiness in every family. In pagodas following the Theravada Buddhist tradition, this important event is often celebrated by observing the ascetic practice of staying up all night; offering lamps, or offering alms bowls to monks to pray for blessings at the beginning of the year.

For Mahayana Buddhism, on the full moon days, pagodas organize rituals to pray for peace for the masses. Some pagodas also hold the Three Jewels Refuge ceremony, creating conditions for those who have a connection with Buddhism to be officially recognized and learn according to the Buddha's teachings.

The full moon day of the first lunar month is also a day to pray for love, fortune, and luck. This activity belongs to folk beliefs, although it does not originate from Buddhism, but anyway, on the three days of Spring, everyone is happy, going to the temple in Spring, the atmosphere of the New Year is still lingering somewhere! Therefore, although it is not a Buddhist belief, it is considered harmless. But to be more certain, as a Buddhist, if you understand the good meaning of the full moon day of the first lunar month, each Buddhist will start a peaceful year by practicing the Buddha's teachings:

- Do not do all evil,

Do all good things

To have 365 days of everything going as desired!

To prepare for life, you also need to understand that according to Buddhism, the first and fifteenth days of each month are considered Buddha's days, and believers should go to the temple on those days. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the first full moon day, many people believe that on that day the holy monks gather to visit Buddha, Buddha descends to the temples to witness the sincerity of Buddhists, and in addition, the atmosphere of spring is still strong, so the number of people going to the temple is larger, so they pass on to each other the mantra:

- Worshiping Buddha all year round is not as good as worshiping Buddha on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

This is a traditional spiritual saying, but in reality, to have a peaceful and happy life, you cannot just wait for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to go to the temple to pray for peace and blessings. To be blessed and peaceful, you also need to practice the Buddha's teachings in your daily life through the methods of practicing Kindness, Compassion, Wisdom... Buddhism can guide you in these aspects.

First of all, you should note that Buddhism was introduced to Vietnam in the First Century and has integrated into the hearts of the people, together with the Vietnamese people creating glorious pages of history, bringing independence, freedom, and lasting happiness to the country. And wherever Buddhism goes, it brings love, calling for and reminding everyone to respect and love their fellow human beings.

First of all, you should note that in each of you, everyone has love, but perhaps few of you have had the opportunity to calculate your love to see how you:

- Have suffered while loving,

- Have been happy while loving, and

- Have learned what in the process of loving, suffering, and happiness.

Most of you are very busy and have not had the opportunity to sit down and do such an accounting. When you do such an accounting, you can learn a lot from your experiences of love, suffering, and happiness.

You love your father, your mother, your children, your grandchildren, your family. You love many things. If each of you could take five or seven minutes a day to do nothing but think, just to account for love. You have to look deeply, and be honest, to be able to begin to see the nature of the suffering and difficulties that have been transforming into the happiness that love has brought. From there, you will draw experiences about love, that cause less suffering for you and for the people you love.

You love, but in reality, few of you know the nature of love. If you know how to practice mindfulness and contemplation, you will have more opportunities to understand the nature of love within you.

Someone asked, what do you have to do to be called love?

To be called love, you can express it in many ways, give gifts, invite each other to a meal... Or you don't need to do anything, sit and look at each other, as long as you don't sit all day! You have to look at each other from time to time, you have to recognize that your loved one is present. Looking at each other here means acknowledging the presence of the other person. If you love without acknowledging the other person's presence, the other person will be sad and miserable and think that you are not truly loved. The other person will say:

- She never pays attention to me, she never looks at me, or he is never aware that I am present!

That is not okay, you have to know how to look at each other and practice looking mindfully. How to look and how to speak so that the other person knows that you are truly present for that person and that person feels that your presence is recognized and appreciated. If you consider the person you love is not present in front of you, then the other person will feel that he or she is not loved and that you are forgetting him or her. Looking at each other is therefore very important. But the problem is when you look at each other, what will you see?

You look closely to see the lovely points, and then you love them. It starts like this:

- You must see the other person as beautiful, you must see the other person as kind, you must see the other person as lovely.

Everyone wants to love, everyone needs Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.

- Goodness is kindness. Who would love an evil witch?

- Beauty is beautiful. The Yaksha is so ugly, so hard to love!

In addition, the object of love must be real, and true.

If that object is just a shadow, a mask, or a disguise, how can you love it? If the object is just powder, just a flashy exterior, then it is not real. No one would love something fake.

Therefore, the object of love must be truth. If you know with the eye of mindfulness, you will see that the three things Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are connected. That is the inter-being of the three. In truth, there must be goodness and beauty. In goodness, there must be truth and beauty. In beauty, there must be truth and goodness. One thing must have the other two to be truly what it is. If it does not have goodness and beauty, it is not truth. You must see that these three things are inter-being. Thus, love is a process of observation, but the person who loves is rarely willing to observe.

And usually, true beauty is like that, you have to look closely to see it. When beauty is the true beauty, that beauty can nourish you, to beautify your life. Therefore, loving beauty is very important, provided that beauty is truly beautiful. Goodness is also beautiful. For example, kindness and compassion. Kindness and compassion are very beautiful things.

In daily life, having truth, goodness, and beauty in your heart is the cause, then the Full Moon of January is the result, and when you pray for peace, you will be at peace, and when you pray for blessings, you will receive blessings. Don't wait until the Full Moon of January every year to pray for peace and blessings, because then they won't come to you immediately. That's why the Buddha encourages you:

- Don't wait until you're old to practice charity

There are many young people in the wild graves.

Seeing that way, the spirit of learning, especially awakening love in you, is an important part of your life and it is also a kind of necessity, a kind of love that is very necessary for life.

In short, the Full Moon of January has become a traditional cultural activity of the nation, imbued with humanity and full of humanity in life. Whether in urban or rural areas, everywhere people hang lanterns, decorate flowers, recite poems, and enjoy spring. For Buddhists, there is a saying:

- January is the month of vegetarianism,

Or:                                                                               

- Going to worship Buddha all year round is not as good as worshiping Buddha on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

This shows that the full moon of January is one of the most important holidays for Vietnamese people, particularly in Buddhism. Thus, going on a spring outing during the three days of the New Year, going to the temple on the full moon of January, in addition to worshiping, praying for peace, and praying for blessings at the beginning of the year, is also an opportunity for you to re-evaluate what you need to do in the new year to develop true love. With true love, you will feel at ease in life when facing many uncertainties, and you will be able to shake hands and greet each other when the New Year comes and Spring returns

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