Vesak Day, also known as Vesak or Buddha Purnima, is a Buddhist holy day celebrated in May that commemorates three important moments in Buddhist history, namely; 

• The birth of Prince Siddhartha in Lumbini Garden in 623 BCE,

• Prince Siddhartha attained great enlightenment and became Buddha at Buddha-Gaya (Bodh-Gaya) at the age of 35 in 588 BCE,

• Siddhartha Gautama Buddha parinibbana passed away in Kusinara at the age of 80 in 543 BCE,

The three events mentioned are called “Trisuci Vaisak”. The decision to celebrate this holy tri was made at the first World Fellowship of Buddhist (WFB) conference held in Sri Lanka in 1950. It is celebrated on the first full moon of May. Vesak Day is also celebrated in several countries with different Visakha; Visakha Puja or Buddha Purnima in India, Saga Dawa in Tebet, Visakha Bucha in Thailand, Visakha in Sri Lanka, Vishaka in Singapore and Malaysia. According to some books 'Tracing History Through Inscriptions' written by Boechari, this holiday is also called Buddha's Day.

As in accordance with Buddhist values concerning the aspects of life, namely birth-enlightenment-death, Vesak Day itself teaches humans that in life there will be a rotation of the wheel of life experienced by everyone. In life, humans live their lives from birth to death.

In Buddhism, there are several well-known concepts regarding the journey of human life, one of which is the Wheel of Life or called “Samsara”, a concept in Buddhism that describes the unbroken cycle of birth, suffering, and death. Samsara emphasizes that human life is not linear, but an unbroken series of lives. Humans are constantly reborn into the physical world through various life forms (both human and other) in an effort to seek fulfillment of desires and avoid suffering.

Suffering (Dukkha): The concept of Dukkha highlights the suffering or dissatisfaction inherent in human life. According to the Buddha, suffering occurs due to dissatisfaction, desire, and attachment to the temporary physical world. Samsara emphasizes that this cycle of birth and death constantly produces suffering.

Causes of Suffering (Samudaya): According to Buddhism, the main cause of suffering is man's unfulfilled desires and cravings and attachment to the material world. These ties lead to the cycle of rebirth and reinforce the wheel of Samsara.

The Way Out (Nirvana): The main essence of Buddhism is to understand and break the bonds that cause suffering, thus freeing oneself from the wheel of Samsara. Nirvana, or the attainment of a state free from suffering and rebirth, is the ultimate goal of spiritual practice in Buddhism.

According to Buddhism, life in Samsara is characterized by unavoidable suffering (Dukkha), caused by human desire and attachment to the material world. From what is experienced by a person whether it is positive or negative things can be learned to improve life, this is in accordance with the essence of Vesak which holds the story of Siddhartha Gautama.  

The enlightenment achieved by Siddhartha Gautama reveals the nature of this suffering and offers a way out of the Samsara cycle. In the process of self-introspection that every human being undertakes although not using the same method as Siddhartha Gautama, each person will be able to find his enlightenment in a different way. Therefore, as a symbol of the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the history of Vesak Day is expected to be a reference for someone to live their life in order to find their own enlightenment.

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