Bodhi Day ​

​성도재일

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​​Bodhi Day, the 8^th day of the 12^th lunar month, is the day the Buddha attained enlightenment. In Buddhism, enlightenment is not reserved only for the Buddha as a sacred realm but is open to all who conduct dedicated practice. To mark this day nationwide, Seon halls conduct a seven-day non-stop practice without sleeping, and temples hold overnight Seon practice sessions. Buddhists have commemorative Dharma gatherings to renew their vows to be delivered from the suffering of birth and death and establish a Pure Land.  

Through the round of numerous births

​I roamed fruitlessly

​Seeking the house-builder

​Birth after birth was a suffering

​House-builder, you're uncovered at last

​You will not build a house again

​All your aggregates are collapsed

​All the rafters dismantled

​Now the mind has stopped the formation of karma,

​Attaining the end of craving

​-Buddha’s Verse of Enlightenment. 153-154, Dhammapada

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 ​- excerpt from Buddhist English (Elementary 2) published in 2014 by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism​​