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Bodhi Day
Commemorating the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama under the Bodhi tree.
📅 December 8
✦ Why It Matters
Bodhi Day marks the moment Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment (bodhi) after 49 days of meditation beneath the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, becoming the Buddha — the "Awakened One." This event is the foundation of all Buddhist teaching.
✦ How It Is Observed
Meditation practice, reading of Buddhist scriptures, decorating a bodhi tree (or ficus plant) with lights and ornaments, simple meals of tea and rice, reflection on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
✦ Sacred Text
“"All conditioned things are impermanent" — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
— Dhammapada 21:277 ↗