………..is
celebrated on the 22nd day in the 9th lunar month of the
Bhutanese calendar. The day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the Lord Buddha’s
descent from the realm of heaven to the earth. Lord Buddha descended from the
heaven on this day.
On
this day, the Tshechus are conducted for the benefit of all the sentient beings
in this universe irrespective anything. The people visit the Monasteries, Nyes,
holy places, etc. to offer their prayers and to celebrate or mark the day.
The
people in Bhutan and other Buddhist countries considered the day as one of the
most important day in the history of Buddhist culture and traditions. The Government
offices, Schools and other agencies kept closed for a day to celebrate it and
pay the tribute to Lord Buddha being descended to the earth on this day.
The Lord Buddha:
The
Lord Buddha was founder of the Buddhist philosophy in the world. More than 2500
years before, he lived in North India. The term ‘Buddha’ means the ‘Awakened one’;
the one who can see the things in their natural perspective has been immoral
now. A Lord Buddha is a person who is completely free from all the faults and
mental obstructions, and such was the Buddha, fragile and peaceful, tactful and
celestial.
He
was born as a noble prince on the full moon day of May in the year 566 BC in Lumbini
Park at Kapilavastu. Kapilavastu was originally in northern India but is now a
part of Nepal which was ruled by his father King Suddhodana over the land of
the Sakyans. His mother, Queen Maha Maya was a princess of the Koliyas.
Months
before the childbirth, Queen Mahamaya has a series of fourteen dreams, night
after night. In one of those dreams, she saw a white elephant descending from
heaven. Queen Mahamaya shared the dreams to the King and King too has shared
his views on dreams to comfort Queen Mahamaya. The words of King proved to be
absolutely true. This child was to become the perpetual light of the world in
time.
When
the time of her delivery neared in, Queen Mahamaya expressed her wish to go to
her parental home. The Suddhodana has agreed with Queen and arranged her
entourage to her parental place to give birth.
So,
on a full moon day Queen Mahamaya started her journey. Some attendants followed
her carriage. About halfway between the two cities, the queen started feeling
the first pains of labor. There, the physician maid said that it would be not
difficult to proceed. So, they camped in the Lumbini grove. There under the shade
of a flowering Sal tree, the queen delivered a son.
The
attendants then brought the queen and the child carefully back to the palace. When
King Suddhodana saw the child, he felt as if all his wishes had been fulfilled.
So he named him Siddhartha. The whole kingdom rejoiced over the birth of their
prince.
History of Lhabab Duechen:
The
history of Lhabab Duechen dates back to the times of Lord Buddha. Unfortunately,
Queen Mahamaya expired seven days after Lord Buddha’s birth. He was under
special care of Gotami, a sister of Queen Mahamaya who was married to King. He received
a royal education, special training in the art of welfare but it all happened
in the world of palace.
Lord
Buddha was married at the age of sixteen to the queen Yasodhara. Queen Yasodhara
gave birth to son. One day, Lord Buddha with his attendant went out of palace
where he saw “Kay-Gaa-Na-Chi Du-ngyel” the sufferings of the universe. So,
therefore, one night he bid them a farewell to his wife and son. He then
started his expedition in search of “Truth and Paeace”.
After
many years of practicing dharma and meditating in search of “Truth and Peace”,
he walked for days and nights where he did not find permanent things around. He
lived in caves, near River banks, etc. and etc. He reached the city of Bodhgaya
and settled down on the banks of a river. It was a pleasant spot, soothing to
the senses and stimulating to the mind. Crossed-legged he sat there under a
large Fig tree. He applied the meditation process that was learnt during his
childhood- the ‘In-and-out Breathing’. To intensify of his concentration, he entered
into the second, third and fourth stages where he passed through the realms of
meditation, his mind was cleansed of impurities.
Lord
Buddha with his a composed mind recollected his past births and saw himself
with different forms of animals, birds and insects. He could recollect that he
went through the various sufferings. Due his recollection of the pasts, he had
been hovering for so long. He closed eyes under the Fig tree; he attained the
Nirvana – the Supreme Enlightenment. At the age of 35, so called Gautama become
Buddha – the Enlightened One.
He
traveled all over the world to preach Buddhism. After attaining enlightenment,
Lord Buddha ascended to heaven on the 15th day of the 6th
month of the lunar calendar to preach to his mother. His mother was reborn as a
Deva in the Trayastrimsha heaven which is presided over by the Brahmanical god,
Indra. When Buddha was preaching the Abhidharma to his mother along with gods
and goddesses in Trayastrimsha heaven, the people on earth were worried because
they did not know where Buddha was. They did not see Buddha in the earth.
Then,
the Buddha’s disciple, the Sharibu, had a vision of the Lord to be in heaven.
Following the request of all the devotees, another disciple of Lord Buddha,
Maogyel Gebu, who was known to possess miraculous powers, ascended to heaven on
the 15th day of the 9th month of the lunar calendar and
requested Buddha to return to earth. After three months of teaching in
Trayastrimsha, the Buddha decides to return to his disciples and lay followers.
His descent from the heaven takes place at Sankashya in modern Uttar Pradesh,
India on 22nd day of the 9th month of lunar calendar. The descending
day of Lord Buddha is a celebration of his return to earth from heaven to the
earth.
There
the disciples of Buddha arranged ‘Chipdrel’ for first time to receive and pay
tribute to the Lord Buddha.
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