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Vesak is the celebration of Buddha's birthday. The word is derived from Vesakha the Pali name for the fourth lunar month on the Indian Calendar. It is sometimes written as 'wesak' and corresponds approximately to April and May in the solar calendar. Tradition maintains that that Vesak was not only the time of the Buddha's birth but also his enlightenment and finally his transition from this life.   News sources state that "hundreds of millions" will be celebrating.

As a result, Vesak is considered the most auspicious date in the Buddhist calendar and celebrations are held all over Southeast Asia between April and May on the day of the full moon. Celebrated as Buddha's birthday, it is regarded as an ideal time to engage in compassionate service, liberate captive animals, spend time in meditation and listen to Buddhist teachings. Master Sheng Yen, in his book, Subtle Wisdom, offers this insight about Vesak:

"Does a perfectly enlightened being like the Buddha need a celebration in his honor? Of course not! It is for our own benefit that we celebrate his birthday. On Buddha's birthday we offer him food and flowers, and we chant and perform ceremonies in his honor. Is the Buddha aware of this? It is we who enjoy the food and the flower arrangements, and it is we who derive benefit from the chanting and ceremonies."

In Tulsa, we will celebrate Vesak  with a meditation retreat, Friday, May 28, 6 - 8 pm.


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Generosity is an antidote to fear. When you practice being generous with your time, your joy, and your spirit, fear loosens its grip. - Marc Lesser
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We are born with all the wisdom, playfulness, and imagination we need; we just sometimes need a reminder to return to our senses and get out of our own way.- Marc Lesser
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Attachment to faith makes you believe in one truth, one religion. The belief in one truth makes you biased, leading to one belief trying to kill another. You want to impose your beliefs on others, rejecting the reality of many religions. - Dalai Lama 14th
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This may sound easy, but doing less can actually be very hard. Too often we mistakenly believe that doing less makes us lazy and results in a lack of productivity. Instead, doing less helps us savor what we do accomplish. - Marc Lesser


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People with strong political ideals tend (like religious fanatics) to be very zealous in their undertakings, but only in favor of their own attachments and ideals.
- P. A. Payutto

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Smile with the flowers and the green grass. Play with butterflies and serpents. Shake hands with shrubs, ferns and twigs. Talk to the rainbow, wind, stars and the sun. Converse with running brooks and the turbulent waves of the sea. Develop friendship with your neighbors, with cats, cows, trees - in fact with all of creation of nature. Then you will have a wide, perfect, rich, full life.  Swami Sivananda

(public domain photo from www.pixabay.com)

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As a planet, we need to re-evaluate the consumerist view that “more is better”, and how that view creates miserliness, jealousy and inequality. - Thubten Chodron


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Among all the fine and beautiful things in the world, what a person needs most is loving care from others. - Hsing Yun
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The person who neither rejoices in times of good fortune nor sorrows when overtaken by misfortune, is said to be endowed with wisdom and contentment. - Swami Sivananda


Victor M. Parachin ... 

a Vedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Sadly, Victor passed away in August 2025, but his blog continues. Janet Parachin, his partner of 45 years, shares quotes from his books and articles each week. 

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