Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day Siddhartha Gautama attained awakening or enlightenment and became the Buddha 2,600 years ago.Japan celebrates on Dec. 8, following the Western calendar.It varies elsewhere in East Asia, but generally, the holiday falls between the winter solstice and the lunar new year, said Scott Mitchell, dean of students at Berkeley, California-based Institute of Buddhist Studies.
Southeast Asian and Tibetan Buddhists celebrate Buddha’s enlightenment in May and June respectively, said Judith Simmer-Brown, professor emeritus of contemplative and religious studies at Colorado’s Naropa University.
It happened after years of spiritual seeking and meditation, including gaining insights into the ultimate nature of existence: “In particular, the origins of human suffering, the cycle of birth and death (samsara), and the path to liberation (nirvana),” Manuel Lopez, a professor of Buddhist Studies and Religion at New College of Florida, said via email.
Buddhism is regarded as the world’s fourth-largest religion after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Most Buddhists live in the Asia-Pacific region.
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