“Nirvana Day” is a festive day for Mahayana Buddhists who observe the death of the Gautama Buddha on this day. Some Buddhists celebrate this day on 15th February as Parinirvana . On this day, Buddha spoke the last words of his life to his followers before expiring at the age of eighty. Buddhists believe that it is a holyday for introspecting into one’s own future death, or reflect on friends or relations who have passed away lately.
Talking about nirvana you need to know what does it stand for?
What is Nirvana?
Though, it is not an easy task to simplify nirvana. Yet you can call it basically an idyllic spiritual condition where the heart douses hatred, passion, and delusion. According to Buddhist philosophy it is the greatest spiritual plane one can attain. At this phase of life, light of knowledge dispels the darkness of ignorance, existence is visible without substance and peace follows as life draws to an end, which seems to cure the long sickness the body was suffering.
Nirvana is the ultimate aim of Buddhism and understood as the end of rebirth. This stage of life is the point where you sacrifice all your desires and become free from all kinds of sufferings. Buddhists devote their whole life for attaining perfect peace of Nirvana.
There are two general categories in which you can divide Nirvana. The primary, which is a “residual” or partial Nirvana is an experience of Nirvana, which occurs while a person is still alive. Here the ‘residue’ is the body, which is the final bond of existence of the residual, Nirvana does not engrave. The secondary is the “non-residual” Nirvana, also known as “parinirvana” or “perfect nirvana”. This is the Nirvana where one awakes fully as his body perishes. Nirvana is attained when the body is free from all bondages.
Buddha’s attainment of Nirvana.
Buddha had ascended through all the nine stages of meditational attainment, and then the great prophet reversed the process, and returned to the first trance. Again he emerged from that, and once more he ascended step by step to the fourth trance. After emerging from the practice of that, he achieved everlasting peace on Nirvana day.
Celebrations on this holyday
Celebrations on Nirvana Day vary from place to place throughout the world. In the monasteries this day is treated as a social occasion. Buddhists celebrate this holyday mostly by meditating or by going to Buddhist temples or monasteries. Though, in some monasteries Buddhists read passages from the Paranibbana Sutta , which portrays the conclusive days of Buddha, where as others devote this occasion for those who have recently passed away.
People prepare food and few of them bring presents such as household goods, money, or clothes. Mahayana Buddhists feel indebted to the great Seer who showed them the path of salvation on Nirvana Day. However, from a broader view, Nirvana Day is the day to discover a way towards gaining the perfect peace and win over death.