Lumbini - The holy site marking the Buddha's birthplace
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Lumbini Garden is one of the four significant Buddhist holy sites and the top magnets for pilgrimage in Nepal.
This place supported the World-Honored One's first steps in the Saha world
The garden is attractive for not only its rare sacredness but also the immense blessings arising to its visitors out of their reverence and kind thoughts.
On his arrival to the Saha world, the World Honored One first set foot on Lumbini Garden, which lit up the glorious sunrise of hope for living beings of all realms. With such a special meaning, Lumbini was recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997.
A rare sacred site
Lumbini Garden is where the Buddha was born more than 2,600 years ago. The Buddha's parents are King Suddhodana and Queen Maya of the Kapilavastu kingdom (a part of modern-day Nepal).
The holy site of Lumbini Garden, where the Buddha descended to the world (the temple has undergone reconstruction to become as it is nowadays)
Where is Lumbini?
Lumbini Garden is situated in Rupandehi district, Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and about 36 kilometers away from the Nepal—India Sunauli border. The garden is located on a low hill at the foot of the Himalayas, roughly 25 kilometers to the east of the ancient Kapilavastu kingdom's capital and 320 kilometers from modern-day Nepal's capital of Kathmandu.
According to ancient Indian customs, women had to return to their homeland to give birth. Hence, as her due date was approaching, Queen Maya, permitted by King Suddhodana, also went back to her motherland.
On the way home, Queen Maya stopped by the Lumbini Garden to take a stroll. Thereafter, she leaned her hand on a branch of Saraca asoca and immediately gave birth to Prince Siddhartha.
The Buddha was born in Lumbini Garden (Illustration)
The birth of a Buddha is exceptionally rare. From Shakyamuni Buddha's birth to Nirvana and up to now, there has not been any Buddha born and it will be a very long time until another one appears. The span between the two Buddha's times is roughly 500 - 700 million years, or even billions of years. Therefore, it will be extremely long before another Buddha is born.
Hence, we should bear in mind that the Buddha's birth is not a normal occurrence, because the Buddha, before descending to the Earth, had meticulously observed and selected necessary conditions for his birth, including his birthplace. When the conditions were fully assembled, he decided to come down to this world.
Why is Lumbini Garden important to Buddhism?
Many people and even Buddhist followers, when first learning about this religion, probably have no idea whether the Buddha was a real being or not. Some wonder whether or not the Buddha was only an entity built on the basis of great morality and perfection to educate people on goodness. However, when visiting his birthplace, we can firmly believe that the Buddha was absolutely a real person. Right in this Lumbini Garden, more than 2,600 years ago, the Buddha was born.
About 300 years after the Buddha's Nirvana, King Ashoka made a determination to find all the holy sites and relics in which the Buddha had set his foot. Having known that Lumbini Garden was the birthplace of the Buddha, he had a stone pillar built there so that future generations would be able to visit the significant sites marking the milestones in the Buddha's life. The stone pillar in the Lumbini Garden is the earliest discovery and the script inscribed on the pillar is regarded as the “birth certificate” of Prince Siddhartha, which serves as “living” historical evidence of the Buddha, a real figure who ever existed.
Therefore, even though more than 2,600 years have passed, the Lumbini Garden is still the cradle of human civilization, the source of Buddhism, and one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the world.
Pilgrimage to Lumbini, a place where many blessings are generated
If we ever make a pilgrimage to Lumbini Garden without understanding the Buddha as well as his Dharma, and without any strong emotions, we cannot reap any considerable benefits. This also applies to the case when we don't have any particular excitement to visit the garden, any impressions, or any subsequent admiration for the holy site.
If we are vigorously moved and harbor sacred feelings and admiration towards the Buddha, we will obtain lots of blessings, benefits, and favorable conditions for our Buddhist practice. A tear out of our genuine emotion during our visit to the holy sites can help us eliminate countless bad karma and grow in our merits.
In order for the intense emotions to arise within us, we need to learn about the Buddha to deepen our understanding of his history and practice his teachings to validate the benefits and preciousness of Buddhism.
Especially, anyone who dies with genuine happiness when admiring the holy sites will be reborn into a heavenly realm and enjoy the happiness there.
People, who are yet to have an opportunity to visit the Buddha's homeland, can still reap immense blessings thanks to their gratitude, reverence, and admiration for the Buddha evoked when watching the holy sites via social media.
Some overall information about Lumbini Garden
Introduction
From the Buddha's birth up to the present, Lumbini Garden has undergone many historical ups and downs. However, essentially, its cultural and spiritual values have always been honored. The Lumbini complex was officially recognized as a world heritage by UNESCO in 1997.
Lay Buddhists practiced meditation around the holy pond.
Buddhist significant relics in Lumbini
- The stone pillar of King Ashoka
- Mayadevi Temple
- The holy pond
Lumbini Garden is the Buddha's birthplace and definitive evidence of the existence of the Buddha in this world.
Hopefully, if you have an opportunity, you should once pay a visit to India and admire the historical Lumbini Garden.
