Buddha Purnima 2023: Significance Of Chanting Buddhist Mantras And Gautam Buddha's Path Of Enlightenment

New Delhi: This year, Buddha Purnima — commemorating the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later Gautama Buddha — founder of Buddhism is celebrated on May 5. Traditionally, it's a holiday in Mahayana Buddhism and is widely celebrated across the globe. Devotees swing into preparations for the special festival, days in advance. 

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHANTING BUDDHIST MANTRAS

'Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō' is chanted across all forms of Nichiren Buddhism as well as Tendai Buddhism. It is the Lotus Sutra that helps in attaining mental peace and people believe it cures them of all problems. In Buddhism, the chanting of mantras sets the mind in the state of meditation. The common Theravada chants are usually based on Pali Canon, Mahayana and Vajrayana chants. 

There are various chanting mantras in Buddhism, the most common happens to be from Nichiren Buddhism which is chanting of the five characters of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, meaning a tribute to the true dharma of the Lotus Sutra. This comes under the Mahayana Sutra chants.

Mahayana Sutra unfolds Shakyamuni's real self as a Buddha who attained enlightenment years back.

LORD BUDDHA'S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ON PATH OF ENLIGHTENMENT - LEGEND

Before denouncing worldly pleasures, Buddha was known as Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later transformed into Gautama Buddha and founded Buddhism as a path leading to the spiritual enlightenment of the soul. As per Theravada Tripitaka scriptures, Prince Gautama was born in Lumbini which is now known as modern-day Nepal, around 563 BCE. He was later raised in Kapilavastu.

The legend has it that when Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal lineage, an astrologer named Asita predicted that either he will set to become a great king or else he would denounce everything, leaving the comforts of all things material.

Naturally, the prince's father King Suddhodana wanted his son to reign as the powerful and greatest of kings, therefore he did not let him go out of the palace walls. However, as destiny would have it—the prince at the young age of 29, went out of the palatial comforts and saw how people suffer, and how difficult it is for an ordinary man to survive.

According to Buddhist literature, it is believed that what the prince witnessed during this time is known as the four sights. He got to understand the suffering of a common man, saw an old man, a sick person, a dead body and finally an ascetic holy man, who was content in life.

It is believed that these experiences were vital enough and compelled the prince to leave his comfortable royal life behind and move ahead to embrace divinity by walking on the spiritual path, leading to the enlightenment of the soul.