The Lotus Sutra is King

"The Lotus sutra is king of all Mahayana sutras."  --Cultivating the Mind of Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

In every spiritual tradition, it seems, people become fixed in their ways. Their thoughts are habitual. "They attach to form and are bit by the snake of misunderstanding," writes Buddhist master, Thich Nhat Hanh. In every age, there is need for renewal, to keep traditions accessible, to overcome misapprehension, and to introduce practices which reflect positively upon the age. The dawn of Mahayana was just that. The traditions which preceded it were non-native to early practitioners of Buddhism in China and the north. The mind of Mahayana was intended to help one gain a closer understanding of the true practice. For example, ideas of impermanence, nirvana and inter-being were re-formed for the earliest Mahayana practitioners.

Previously, many had taught that the practice was to exit this world of suffering. Shravakas, therefore had practiced primarily for the self and not for the compassion and good of the world. In the new view, this was not the heart of the Buddha's teaching. Rather it was Vimalakirti sutra which launched a challenge to this former thinking. Shariputra, disciple of the Buddha, was the focus; humbled by the new way, the Mahayana ushered in a time when the average person could be enlightened. No longer was enlightenment the province of priests, monks or nuns alone. 

Yet it is in the Lotus sutra that we learn Shariputra remains the Buddha's most beloved disciple; he learns that the Buddha has offered the teaching at that time because it was necessary. Now we learn that everyone has the possibility to become a fully enlightened buddha, and that the Buddha is present everywhere, forever. Additionally we learn that the three vehicles are in fact one, ekayana. So no matter what tradition you have or do follow, all are disciples of the everlasting Buddha. "Thanks to the Lotus sutra, peace and reconciliation among practitioners has become possible," writes Hanh.

Days for the Dead

"Celebrations and festivals are necessary for society and for the individual. They are about cultural identity, life  transitions and personal identity." --Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts by C. Stepanchuk and C. Wong

Around the world societies and individuals celebrate, commemorate and remember. In doing so, festivals of many places serve tradition, often ancient. Festivals and other remembrances serve to connect us with our past, with the face that was before our self existed; they are links to the ancestor, or to the great intelligence and wisdom of the community. By linking the living with the dead, many cultures celebrate a sort of 'day(s) of the dead.'
The Spanish cultures have their Day of the Dead; the Indonesians (Balinese), their Day of Silence, the Bengali of India observe a festival called, The Day of the Dead. In China this is called the Qing Ming Festival. Its date is determined by the Lunar calendar; this year it will be observed on April 5, 2011.
Its origins stretch back at least 2,500 years. Sometimes it is called 'sweeping the graves.'
In Hong Kong, Tiawan and within the official Ethnic minority regions of China, Vietnam, Thailand and established communities abroad, the festival endures; however the Communist party of mainland China has only recently reinstated the official observance of this ancient tradition in 2008 .

Written in a reference style, the easy reading text, Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts: Festivals in China by authors C. Stepanchuk and C. Wong, tell a bit about this and other events part of the calendar year. The authors while describing these events, write, "to experience a festival... you are required to set aside all day-to-day worries and cares in favor of a mood of make-believe and masquerade... For a time, we play the game of, "as if," freeing our mind and spirit, dissolving the laws of time and space, standing on the borderline between belief and disbelief."

The authors note that these festivals may be cathartic to the participants; they give rise to much appreciated levity. After all, a good laugh is uplifting; the festival may as well connect us with the past, or with spirits in a purposeful worship.
There are, the authors note, local variations to the major festivals. Regardless of the possible regional variations, these festivals share a common religious root. "Chinese festivals have a strong religious background, even though many are highly secularized today... there still is the strong belief in paying homage to spirits today."

So it is that, we, in many places throughout the world honor, remember and memorialize those foregone spirits. In doing so, we also play out an important reality in each life, that is the inescapable connection of time and the limits of our known, mortal life. Paradoxically, most often participants in  ritualized events are comforted by these festivals, many of whom express themselves with tremendous joy and enthusiasm. We continue to celebrate.