It’s Wesak Day.
Millions of people around the globe are celebrating this memorable day, but, I am not writing this piece in the memory of Him. Instead, I am writing it in the memory of my mother.
Wesak Day brings up faint memory of my mother who had departed more than twenty years ago. My mother was not a devout Buddhist. She didn’t declare herself as a Buddhist either. But she went to temple once a year, in Wesak Day. So I consider her as such.
In Korea, large population do not really define themselves with any religion. It doesn’t mean they are atheists. But loosely consider as Buddhists if you try to nail them of their religious orientation. My mother was one of them.
Last dynasty of Korea was Confucianism based. So its influences are strongly embedded in every ways of life till now. Then, they do not consider Confucianism as religion, but, rather as a philosophy or a way of life. So subtract Christians or other new religions…the rest are Buddhists because Confucianism is still closer with Buddhism.
Every Wesak Day, she will dress up nicely and go to temple; lighting lamps, listen to chanting, participate in prayer, and enjoy temple vegetarian meals. Whenever she came back after that, there was special glow in her for days… That’s how I associate Wesak Day with my mother. Every Wesak Day, I remember my mother, rather than Sakyamuni Buddha. Because, it was one of rare days in her life that made her happy. Most other days, she was in pain. Her life was not an easy one. So in Wesak Day, I can remember my mother’s happy looks, instead of her sadness.
Of recently, one of my long time yoga students lost her beloved mother. I went to pay my respect. It’s never easy, no matter how old we are, to lose mother. Seeing her clad in nice costume in a coffin, I felt chill running through my spine, the same chill feeling I felt with my mother, and with another dear students moms one and half years ago. They departed the world, but, somehow they continue to live on in our daughters’ hearts no matter how long it had been. Maybe it’s special bonding between woman to woman that we girls only can understand…
Thus, when I think of Sakyamuni Buddha, I relate more with his mother, Lady Maya, who had to depart the world just 7 days after giving birth to him. Her pain as a mother who had to leave her son is direr to me in Wesak Day….
Mother’s day is around the corner again… While millions of devotees celebrating the birth of Buddha, we yoga girls…why not we celebrate our mothers instead…? If they are still around with you, you are the lucky ones. If they are not, then, will you join me to celebrate Wesak Day in the memory of our mothers???
Happy Wesak Day!
