It's December. This month we celebrate our religious traditions in a very secular way. We take some time off from work. We shop and exchange presents. We eat until we can't eat any more. And we get together with our loved ones and remember why we struggle through the other eleven months of the year.
We have Christmas for the Christians. Kwanzaa for the Africans. Hanukkah for the Jews. The winter solstice for the Wiccans. There's a holiday for almost everyone.
There's a holiday for the Buddhists, too. It's Bodhi Day, or Rohatsu, the day that commemorates the Buddha's enlightenment. It's celebrated on December 8, at least in Japan. And it should be celebrated here, too.
Buddhists deserve a holiday, just like everyone else. We like presents, although we're a little more focused on giving than on receiving. And we like to eat, although we eat more as an experience in mindfulness than as an excuse to stuff ourselves silly. And who doesn't like a day off from work?
Some Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day by meditating for seven days and seven nights, the way the Buddha did. That might be too much for some of us, but this can be a good time to reconnect with our spiritual nature, to reaffirm our commitment to our practice.
There's so much to celebrate on Bodhi Day. The Buddha's enlightenment shows a path that we all can follow to overcome the trials of our lives. The path is a chance for redemption, rebirth. Bodhi Day is a reminder that we can move beyond our trivial and often difficult lives. A reminder that there is hope for us all in the darkness of winter. It's a beacon of hope. We all need that.
And even though Bodhi Day has gone by, we have a long weekend coming up, a weekend when each of us can celebrate in our own way. Bells will be ringing, children singing, lights sparkling through the falling snow. And we can create our own celebration. We can celebrate the Buddha, even while we wait for Santa to glide down from the sky.
Happy Bodhi Day, everybody. And to all a good night.
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