The History of Vesak | Pali – Vesākha; Skt. – Vaiśākha |
The Birth, Enlightenment and Parinibbana (death) of the Buddha

Among the various Buddhist communities, mainly the Theravada Line existing in various countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka, the unanimous Tradition of commemorating the date representing three key events in the Life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is shared and maintained: the moment of the Conception when His Being has attached Himself to His Mother's womb; the time when He attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree at the age of 35; and the moment of his physical death with passage to Parinibbānna at the age of 80.

Much controversy and uncertainty still surrounds the birth date of Gautama Buddha. The initial Legend that gave rise to the identification of the three events, Conception, Enlightenment and Death of the Buddha gathered on the same date, appeared in Sri Lanka, some time after Buddhism was established as Religion in the Country, however there is no reference in the Buddhist Canon that supports this triple conjunction, having been the celebration of this joint date later propagated to other countries, mainly to Southeast Asia, where the Tradition has remained to this day.

More uniform and extending to almost most of the Buddhist Lines in the World, it is, in relation to His Birth, the Belief and Tradition that Buddha Gautama was born when the Full Moon was in Vaiśākha (Sanskrit word). Vesaka or Vesak, are nowadays common names used to identify this Sacred Ceremony, the most important of the year in the Buddhist world. Vesaka or Vesak derive precisely from the Sanskrit word Vaiśākha, which actually dates back to the very ancient annals of the original Lunar Vedic Calendar, which eventually resulted in the ancient Hindu Calendar with the different subsequent regionalized adaptations, resulting in the various Indian Regional Calendars of our time.

Originally, Vaiśākha is the Vedic Sanskrit name of a Star or Constellation today identified as Alpha Libra (Al genubi) Zubenel Genubi Libra-3a, according to R.H.Allen and S. Balakrishna, a name used to represent a specific Lunar Mansion (Nakshatra in Sanskrit) or sign.

In the ancient Vedic Calendar, the Nakshatra Vaiśākha is one of the 27 Zodiacal Mansions of 13.3 degrees appreciably, these Mansions that in their entirety make up the 360 degrees of the zodiacal ecliptic, that is, this system is identical to our Solar Calendar, only that instead of 12 signs of 30 degrees, it is composed of 27 signs of 13.3 degrees.

​ The discrepancy between Constellations and Signs of the same name, translates into the retreat of 30 degrees every 2150 years on average, in which the relative position of the Earth and its Seasons, months and zodiacal signs, retreat 0.36 degrees annually ​to the Sun/Celestial sphere direction with its Stars and Constellations, taking 2150 years to traverse the 30 degrees corresponding to each sigo, thus succeeding the so-called astrological eras that complete a cycle of 360 (12 months x 30) degrees in 25 800 years. For example, at the beginning of the 21st century, the position of the sun at the spring equinox (21 March) already has as its background (behind the sun) the boundary between the constellation of fish and that of aquarium and not the boundary between the ram and fish. Confused as it may seem, this means that on March 21 of the present epoch, what we have as a celestial background at the entrance to the sign of Aries, is not the constellation of Aries but the constellation of Pisces.

Thus, today, the 13.3-degree Vaiśākha Mansion is considered to be situated between the 13º (223) and 26º (236) degrees of the Scorpio Sign, not in the celestial constellation of Scorpio due to the precession of the Equinoxes. ​

According to history, Buddha Gautama was born at the time when the Full Moon was in Vaiśākha Mansion. This means that with the Full Moon in one sign, the Sun will be in perfect opposition to 180 degrees on the other side of the Earth. Which means that if the full moon occurs in the sign of Scorpio, the sun will be in the opposite sign, Taurus.

Over the centuries and millennia, the Hindu Vedic Calendar has undergone measurements and reforms, and today the Indian Calendar is the result of changes in crucial milestones of its reform such as the “Jyotish Vedānga” (one of the six adjuncts of the Vedas, 12th-15th centuries BC) and standardised in the “Surya Siddhanta” around the 3rd century BC. In these reforms, the Lunar System of 27 Nakshatras was eventually changed to the adoption of the Solar Calendar of 12 months/Signos of 30/31 days/degrees, adopting the names of certain Nakshatras (signs) to designate precisely a particular Solar Month. Being the first month designated by Chaitra (corresponding to the Sign of Aries), Vaiśākha designates today in the Indian National Calendar, the second Solar month of the Year, going from April 21 to May 22, corresponding ​ to the Sign of the Taurus in the Western Calendar.

As a general rule and according to Legend and Myth, Vesak is usually celebrated on the Full Moon of May (when the Sun is in Taurus), sometimes succeeding the choice of the Full Moon of June according to the International Buddhist Convention, due to the need for measurements to be carried out between the Lunar and Solar cycle, ​ over the years.

​Today,​ is​ however​ difficult ​de se​ assert with ​ total​ certainty, what was the precise date and season​ on which in reality Siddhārtha Gautama was born, having nevertheless been agreed, almost in all Buddhist traditions, either by tradition or by more esoteric character, that this event occurred on the Full Moon of Taurus. In any case, the origin of the greater certainty relates to the celestial constellation in which the Full Moon (Vaiśākha) was at the time of birth, not the sign/Station of the Year in which it was.

Moving now to the deeper Symbolology of this event, Vaiśākha is the only Mansion/Sign of the 27 with two Regent Deities, Indra, the God of Transformation; and Agni, the God of Fire. Combined, they reflect the energy, strength, and powerful potential of Alchemical and Spiritual Transmutation. Jupiter is your ruling Planet, inspiring Enthusiasm, Faith, Optimism and Hope. The Full Moon in this Mansion is thus a powerful moment that according to the energy involved in the ​ aspect Moon-Sun, in interaction with the celestial zone of Vaiśākha (Al-Genubi or Alpha Libra), invokes the Solemn influence and inspiration of the higher and sacred Energies in the higher dimension of our life, where a greater recollection in the depth of our inner being, predisposes to the invitation of contemplative meditation and silence, in honor of the noble ideals of purification, self-knowledge and conscious and intelligent Illumination, thus opening us to the principles of the teaching that the Buddha manifested and brought to the plane of our existence.

This date thus inspires and invokes the return and renewal of Budhi energy in another year of our lives, symbolizing this auspicious date not only the return of the Buddha to Earth, our Sacred Mother, but also the awakening of the Buddha potential within our Hearts, enlightenment that Siddhārtha Gautama accomplished at the age of 35.

This is undoubtedly a propitious moment for the invocation of fraternity and union of our Hearts towards the Light, in a common ideal, ​ beyond Races or Religions. Unconditional Love​, Compassion, Kindness/Bonty​, ​Peace and Equanimity,​ are the objective ​ and ​etic essence of the true path. The purpose of the Divine Beyond-Death/Nirvāna Realization (Paranirvāna) is the highest goal to be realized in this contingent, impermanent and insubstantial material world, which without the primary basis of the practice of meditation and teaching (Dhamma) becomes a utopia. The Buddha encouraged by his example and teaching that man should diligently seek and investigate in himself the causes of dissatisfaction and suffering in the world of attachment and desire, opening the way to spiritual liberation by cultivating and adopting a purer, more virtuous life permeated with perfection towards the ultimate Liberation. The path of inner purity leads to Health and brings Joy and Peace here and now, and prepares the ground/way for the final Liberation of this conditioned world of attachment and illusion.

In the Mahāvagga Book of Discipline of the Pali Canon, in the first Kandhaka (Mahākandhaka), we find the following passage in Brahmayācanakathā Suttā, Stanza 12:

12. Thus the Blessed One, looking at the world with His Buddha-Look, saw beings with their mental eyes obscured, and when He thus saw them, He addressed Brahmā Sahampati at the following resort:

‘Apāruta tesam amatassa dvārā;
Ye sotavanto pamuñcantu saddham;
Vihimsasaññī pagunam na bhāsim;
Dhammam panītam manujesu brahme’.

Well open are the Gates to immortal reality,

to all who have ears to hear;

Let them get the Faith to make this ​a crossing.

The sweet and good knowledge I have not revealed Brahmā,

Desperate for this tiring task of teaching men.

The Vesak represents the Light of understanding and detachment in intimate death bearing fruit in the gradual ​ renunciation encouraged by the Buddha. In this Path Unconditional Love and Inner Light are reborn in the Human Being, creating a better world towards Peace, Understanding and Nirvana, being the primal qualities and virtues of the good by conscious renunciation, the bridge to the final Liberation of this world.

Authors and works consulted:
– Vināya Pitaka – Mahāvagga – Mahākandhaka – Brahmayācanakathāsuttā
– Swāmi Chidānanda – 1 May 1964
– Prasad Gokhale – Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
– Venerable Mettanando Bhikkhu
– Dialogue of Questions and Wonders (Majjhima Nikâya, Sutta 123.)
– S. Balakrishna, Ph.D – Names of Stars from the Period of Vedas – January 1998
– S. Balachandra Rao, Indian Astronomy: An introduction, Universities Press, Hyderabad, 2000.
– Anindita Basu
– Dennis Harness, Ph.D