Monday, the 15th day of the Makha month, the year of the Monkey At that assembly, the Buddha proclaimed 11 principles for all members of the assembly to adopt as their way of life and to spread to others to understand Buddhism.

These principles are called in Pali “Ovatapadimokkha.” Padimakkha is the Pali name for the Buddhist precepts, which are the individual precepts for monks to recite at the assembly every two months: for example, learning padimakkha, demonstrating padimakkha, etc., which every lay Buddhist must study, understand, and practice.

On this day, the Buddha gave the Padimokkha sermon to the great assembly of monks at the Veluvana Monastery, the first monastery in Buddhism. On that day, four important events occurred:

1: The 1,250 monks and nuns whom the Buddha had sent to various regions to spread the Dhamma returned to him in unison (svapṣe khīnasvā).

2: All the monks were monks who were ordained by the Buddha himself, which is called the ṭhīkhu upasakā (svapṣe ṭhīkhu upasakā).

3: All the monks were arahants who had attained the six qualities of arahantship: the ability to manifest power, the ability to hear, the ability to see, the ability to understand the minds of others, the ability to remember their own nature, and the ability to eliminate defilements. They gathered at the Veluvana Monastery without any prior appointment (svapṣe animunita).
4: The day on which all the monks met was the full moon day of the month of Makha (Makhanakhadat, Punchantho).

This meeting is also called the Chaturanga Sannibhata, the meeting of the four.

This Chaturanga Sannibhata was held at Wat Veluvana in the capital of the Magadha kingdom of King Pimbisara, nine months after the Buddha attained enlightenment, attained the supreme enlightenment, and attained the supreme enlightenment, which was 45 years before the year of the Buddha.

The main reason why the monks and nuns gathered at the Veluvan Temple was because the full moon day of the Makha month coincided with the Brahman festival of Shivaratri. On this festival, the Brahmin devotees performed a ritual to cleanse their sins and worship Lord Shiva. Therefore, the monks traveled to meet the Buddha, who was preaching from the Sukarkha cave in the Kungpratap cave in the Veluvan Temple. It should be noted that the monks who traveled to spread Buddhism did not travel together as a group of 1,250, but only individually, meaning that they traveled separately. The fact that each monk traveled to the Veluvan Temple without prior appointment, such as by phone or email, is considered a miracle.

Where did the 1,250 monks come from?

The source of the 1,250 monks is:
A: 500 disciples of Uruvela Kassapa
B: 300 disciples of Natikassapa
C: 200 disciples of Kayakassapa
D: 250 disciples of Sariputta and Moggallana.

The total number of monks is 1,250, excluding Uruvela Kassapa, Natikassapa, Kayakassapa, Sariputta and Moggallana, if these five are included, it is 1,255.

Because this unexpected miracle occurred, the Buddha took the opportunity to give advice on enlightenment to the 1,250 monks, setting out five policies for spreading Buddhism:

A: The ideal has been reached, patience is considered a noble struggle (political apathy).

B: The goal is to attain Nirvana, which is considered the highest goal of Buddhism (public welfare).

C: The method of attaining it is not to violate human and animal rights (human rights).
D: The principle has three points:
* Do not do any evil (security)
* Do good deeds to the fullest extent (social welfare)
* Make your mind flourish (self-development).

E: The method has six points:
* Do not slander anyone (right speech = truth, truthfulness, falsehood, falsehood; propaganda)
* Do not harm anyone (non-violence or peace)
* Respect the code of conduct (ethics)
* Know the limits of food (economy)
* Sit or lie in a quiet place (urban planning)
* Practice mindfulness (study).
The above five points are considered the policies of Buddhism.

Makha Bucha Day is considered the Dharma Day, Visakha Bucha Day is considered the Buddha Day, and Asalha Bucha Day is considered the Sangha Day.

What are the benefits of celebrating Makha Bucha?
The benefits of Makha Bucha Day are:
1: Buddhists have correctly understood the importance of Makha Bucha Day.
2: Understand the principles and stance of Buddhism.
3: Cultivate a more pure and reverent faith in the principles of the Buddha.
4: Demonstrate the role of Buddhists on Makha Bucha Day.
5: Help promote Buddhism to last for a long time.

Makha Bucha Day is considered a test and measure of the quality of Buddhists to see that Whether you are an active or inactive Buddhist today, it is like a mirror that reflects your face. Therefore, if you have the status of a Buddhist and should not neglect your duties, you must try to improve your status as a Buddhist to be active. Traveling to a temple or Buddhist center is not a heavy task. On the contrary, it is to help improve the quality of your mental and spiritual life according to the second principle: do good deeds to the fullest, that is, cultivate your mind to be in the meritorious state.

Hopefully, each of us can benefit from this Makha Bucha Day. Let's all make offerings, maintain morals, and meditate to purify our minds on this day to worship and remember the merits of the Buddha who created Buddhism as a way of life for all of us.