What is the Vesak Festival & What Does it Mean to Buddhists? - Behind the News

Where do Buddhist pray and celebrate Vesak (Wesak) festivities?

• mandir

• temple

• church

• town hall

What is the main idea of Buddhism?

• To be free from sin by controlling your desires

• To be free from suffering by controlling your mind

• To be free from samsara, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth by accumulating good karma

The easiest way to follow the ways of Buddha is to follow the Five Precepts. What are they?

What is the feast of Vesak (Wesak) about?

• Celebrating the death of Siddartha Gautama

• Celebrating the Sangha

• Celebrating the birth, the enlightenment, and the passing away of the Buddha.

What are the four things Siddartha Gautama saw when he left?

• a horse

  a chicken

  a rabbit

  a turtle

• An old man

  A sick man

  a dead man

  a monk (ascetic/ mendicant)

   

After six years of living as a mendicant and fasting, he realized that subjecting his body to extreme hardship and asceticism wasn't the way to enlightenment. After this insight, he started to do what under the Bodhi Tree?

• feast on all types of foods

• pray to the gods and goddess, especially Ma Durga

• meditate - a practice which clears the mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques

According to Buddha, in order to achieve enlightenment, you must get rid of what?

• Negative self talk

• Cravings

• Mental fatigue

According to Buddha, How do we get rid of cravings, experience happiness and gain enlightenment?

• Control mind, speech and thought

• Play Fortnite until you reach the Unreal level

• To be the last one standing on the Battle Royale island

When you meditate, the goal is to ...

• keep your mind focused on one thing (like maybe your breath, or sending compassion to all living beings)

• keep your mind entertained with thoughts about what you did before you meditated and what you will do after you meditate

• be quiet as long as possible

What do Buddhist normally do on Vesak day?

• Throw colored sand

• Give out cards to people

• carve pumpkins to look like Buddha