Lumbini, the Queen Mahamaya

Held on to a branch of a Sal tree,

As the newly born Prince Siddhartha

Made lotus flowers bloom at his steps.

Accepting a meal of milk-rice from Sujata

And bathing at the river Neranjana,

The thirty-five-year-old Bodhisattva

Gained enlightenment under the Buddha Gaya.

Pava, the Gautama Buddha

Received a meal at a mango grove,

And Kusinagar, Ananda at his side

Achieved Parinirvana, never to be reborn.

And year after year on Vesak Poya Day

Followers of Buddhism commemorate

The Birth, Nirvana and Parinirvana

Of the Tathagata Gautama Buddha.

The difficult yet easy path to enlightenment

Is one the Buddha gave to us,

If only we could unclutter our minds

And accept the teachings of The Great One.

How many more times shall we be reborn?

How many more deaths shall we succumb to?

The only way to end the dukkha

Is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path.

So on this Vesak Poya Day of 2024

May your mind be clear and observe Pancha-Sila,

May you realise the dangers of the Karmic cycle

And in this lifetime, achieve Nirvana.

Written By : Shehara De Silva

Image Courtesy : https://bitly.cx/49F