Today is Māgha Pūjā Day

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Today is Māgha Pūjā , also known as Sangha Day, commemorating the occasion when 1250 enlightened monastics spontaneously gathered to visit the Buddha and hear his teachings under a full moon. :pray::pray::pray:

This story is told in the commentary to the Dighanaka Sutta (MN74), where Sariputta became an arahant after hearing the Buddha speak. That full moon night,
1250 monastics came to visit the Buddha. This assembly was notable for having 4 factors:

  1. The meeting happened in full moon of Magha
  2. The monks gathered naturally without prior planning
  3. The monks were Arahants with six higher knowledges
  4. All the monks were ordained with the simple words, ehi-bhikkhu (‘come monk’) by the Buddha himself.

This meeting predated the custom of observing the fortnightly recital of the patimokkha. The teaching given by the Buddha that night is known as the ovadapatimokkha and is famous for being a distilled summary of the Buddha’s teachings and his path.

This teaching can be found in the Mahāpadānasutta DN14 and also in the Buddhavagga of the Dhammapada, verses 183-185.

‘Patient acceptance is the ultimate austerity.
‘Khantī paramaṁ tapo titikkhā,
Extinguishment is the ultimate, say the Buddhas.
Nibbānaṁ paramaṁ vadanti buddhā;
No true renunciate injures another,
Na hi pabbajito parūpaghātī,
nor does an ascetic hurt another.
Na samaṇo hoti paraṁ viheṭhayanto.

Not to do any evil;
Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṁ,
to embrace the good;
kusalassa upasampadā;
to purify one’s mind:
Saci­t­ta­pari­yo­d­apa­na­ṁ,
this is the instruction of the Buddhas.
etaṁ buddhānasāsanaṁ.

Not speaking ill nor doing harm;
Anūpavādo anūpaghāto,
restraint in the monastic code;
Pātimokkhe ca saṁvaro;
moderation in eating;
Mattaññutā ca bhattasmiṁ,
staying in remote lodgings;
Pantañca sayanāsanaṁ;
commitment to the higher mind—
Adhicitte ca āyogo,
this is the instruction of the Buddhas.’
Etaṁ buddhānasāsanan’ti.

Māgha Pūjā is one of the most important Buddhist festivals of the year and celebrates the ariya sangha. You can find out more about the cultural significance of this day in this [wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81gha_P%C5%ABj%C4%81).
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