Nirvana Day
Nirvana Day, or Parinivana Day, is a Mahayana Buddhist holiday celebrating the death and enlightenment of Gautama Buddha. Celebrations include meditation, visiting temples, preparation of special meals, and offering gifts including money, clothes, and household items. Nirvana Day is typically celebrated on February 8 or February 15.
Fast Facts
- Gautama Buddha died in 438 BC at the age of 80
- The Paranibbana Sutta describes the Buddha's last days and death
- Nirvana Day is an occasion to work on attaining perfect peace within oneself
- It is also a time to honor friends and relatives who have died
- Acceptance of impermanence is emphasized over grief
- Annual holiday
- Nirvana day is celebrated by Mahayana, or Theravada Buddhists, who are from China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam
Reaching Nirvana
Believed to be the end of rebirth, Nirvana is the perfect attainment of peace. Nirvana is attained by meditation and acceptance of the Four Noble Truths: life is suffering, suffering is related to desires, suffering ends when you overcome desires, and the way to end suffering is through The Eightfold Path.1
The Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path is the Buddhist path toward liberation. It is broken into eight points of how one should approach daily life.2
- Right View - See things simply
- Right Intention - Abandon expectation
- Right Speech - Having pure intentions
- Right Discipline - Give up the unnecessary
- Right Livelihood - Be content with our lives
- Right Effort - Give up struggle
- Right Mindfulness - Clarity
- Right Concentration - Absorb the significance of life
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