Buddhists everywhere, not just in Asia countries but also in the West, including the United States, will be celebrating Vesak soon, usually during the month of May. It is Buddhism’s most sacred holiday. It is a time to meditate on and commemorate the wisdom and the teachings of one of the world’s most revered religious or enlightened figures - the Buddha.
Born a prince named Siddhartha Gotama more than 2,500 years ago and raised in Kapilavatu near Nepal in North India, he lived a life of royalty, married and had a son. Siddhartha was kept ignorant by his father of the vicissitudes of life outside the palace gates. When he finally stepped outside his protective environment, he became aware of pain and suffering, old age and death.
