Magha Puja Day takes place on the full moon day of the third lunar month [full moon day of March]. This Holy Day is observed to commemorate two important events in the life of the Buddha went to Rajagaha city, 1250 Arahants [Enlightened Saints], the Buddha’s disciples, without prior appointment, returned from their mission to pay respect to the Buddha. They assembled in the Veruvana Monastery [Temple]. Two chief disciples of the Buddha, Sariputta and Moggallana, were also there. This assembly is called the Fourfold Assembly because it consisted of four factors, namely;

• All 1250 monks were Arahants.
• All of them had been ordained by the Buddha himself.
• They assembled by themselves without any prior call.
• It was the full moon day of Magha month.

Fundamental Principles of Buddhism

The Buddha took this opportunity to proclaim the fundamental principles of the Buddhist teachings, as follows:

• SABBAPAPASSA AKARANAM
  Not to do any bad action.
  
  
• KUSALASSUPASAMPADA
  To do good deeds.
  
  
• SACITTA PARIYODAPANAM
  To purify the mind

This is known as Ovada Patimokkha, the fundamental principles of Buddhism. If people the world over follow these principles of Buddhism, human beings will have peaceful and happy lives indeed. This is the first event that happened in the first part of the Buddha’s mission

The Great Decision

The second important event took place in the last year of the second part of the Buddha’s life. It was also the full moon day of the third lunar month.

The Buddha delivered a sermon named IDDHIPADA DHAMMA, the basis of Success, consisting of Aspiration, Effort, Thoughtfulness, and Investigation. He told the Venerable Ananda that he had made the great decision to pass away on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month (May), at the end of the next three months. These two important events occurred on the full moon day of Magha month (about late February early March). These events happened at paval Cetiya, in Vesali city, northeastern India.

Homage is paid to the Three Treasures of the Buddha, Dhamma, and the Sangha on the full moon day of Magha month. It is, therefore, called Magha Puja. This Buddhist Holy Day is observed in many countries in the world where Buddhists live.

Activities

In the morning, people offer food to the monks, and engage in making-merit on a grand scale. In the afternoon, they give food to the poor and handicapped people. Then they go to the monastery and observe the Five Precepts and listen to a sermon. In the evening, people participate in the Candlelight Ceremony. They assemble on the monastery grounds with flowers, incense sticks, and lighted candles in their hands.

They make three rounds of circumambulation walking around the Main Chapel where the image of the Buddha is located keeping their right sides towards the Main Chapel as a sign of respect. While they are walking, they remember the virtues of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, and pay respect to them. They also pay respect by commemorating the two events of the Iddhipada Dhamma Sermon and the Parinibbana decision by Lord Buddha which happened in the Buddha’s life as mentioned above,

We should not only pay respect to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha but also practice and follow the three principles of Buddhism: Not to do any bad deeds, To do good and to cleanse the mind of impurities.