In the Footsteps of the Buddha: The Sacred Celebrations of Meak Bochea and Visak Bochea

In the Footsteps of the Buddha: The Sacred Celebrations of Meak Bochea and Visak Bochea

Chapter One: The Fourfold Assembly: The Origins and Meaning of Meak Bochea In the Cambodian spiritual calendar, Meak Bochea (មាឃបូជា) is a day of profound and quiet reverence. Celebrated on the full moon day of the third lunar month, typically in February or March, it is one of the most important holy days in Theravāda Buddhism. Unlike the joyous, public festivities of the New Year, Meak Bochea is a more solemn and contemplative occasion. It commemorates a miraculous and significant event that took place early in the Buddha's ministry, an event that celebrates the ideal of the pure, enlightened monastic community (the Sangha) and the timeless, core principles of the Buddhist path. It is a day for believers to reflect on the very foundation of the Dharma. The Historical Event: The Miraculous Fourfold Assembly The origins of Meak Bochea date back to a single, extraordinary day that occurred just nine months after Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha. The even…