Thadingyut: Honoring Loved Ones in Absence and Remembrance
Thadingyut Festival or Lighting Festival is a national festival in Myanmar. People celebrate it in memory of the Buddha who descended from the Tavatimsa Deva’s Realms to the human world. He preached Abhidhamma throughout the Buddhist Lent - Vassa (3-month-long rain retreat) to his mother who was reborn in a celestial realm, along with thousands of celestial beings and Brahmas. On the evening of the full moon in October, people welcomed him with countless lights. Since then, Buddhist people from various countries have celebrated the Lighting Festival by illuminating their houses and pagodas. It also marks the end of the Vassa Rain Retreat, and the monks invite each other to apologize for any mistakes they may have made. This monastic event is called ‘Pavaranā’ and my hometown is famous for its township-wide gathering of all the monastics from various parts of the town. The locals held this event annually for over 77 years until 2019, just before the COVID-19 outbreak. The people of my town took pride in having organized this longstanding annual township event in Myanmar, except for a few years during World War II. Sadly, I heard that the monastics in my town could not come together across the township again this year. This is now the fourth year in a row that they’ve been unable to gather since the coup in 2021. At the same time, my family is unable to return to our hometown this year as well. Due to road insecurities, my eldest brother’s family could not visit us during this festival, too.
Two days ago, on the night of Thadingyut Full Moon Day, I reflected on the magnificent glory of the Enlightened One from that era. The scriptures mention that all the devas and Puthujjana (ordinary) men were filled with adoration for him so much that they all yearned for Buddhahood, captivated by his unparalleled glory that surpassed that of all celestial and Brahmic beings. I also felt a deep reverence for him, so I called my son, niece, and nephews to light candles as offerings in memory of the Lord Buddha. My second brother's family came to visit us to pay respects to our parents. I shared the story of the Buddha's return from the heavenly world to the human realm with the children. I explained the significance of offering lights on Thadingyut Full Moon Day and encouraged them to do so in honor of the Lord Buddha, who taught Abhidhamma to his mother. As I watched them visiting, paying their respects to our parents, and enjoying the festival by lighting up the monastery where we are staying, a thought came to my mind.
While we were able to enjoy the moment in relative peace and safety, many families and children in various regions of Myanmar were fleeing their homes or unable to return. These families couldn’t come together during this significant time, or some would never see their loved ones again after losing them to airstrikes carried out by the junta’s air force and to natural disasters like the recent flooding caused by Typhoon Yagi’s remnants. I read a news report by The Irrawaddy – Burmese Edition that covered an airstrike in four locations in Naungchio Township around 10.00 pm on Thadingyut Full Moon Day. It was shocking to see that the junta’s forces couldn’t even pause their atrocities on this sacred day; they seemed far too eager to cause harm.
Meanwhile, in another part of the country, I saw people and children celebrating the Thadingyut Festival by lighting candles and sending up hot air balloons, in relative peace, despite having endured artillery fire, airstrikes, and bombings from the junta over the past few months. They were able to enjoy the moment as their Karenni region experienced a brief sense of liberation or distance from the junta’s forces, even if just for a short time. Witnessing the smiles and joy of the children in this video filled me with happiness and was genuinely contagious. While offering lights to the Enlightened One, I wished for the people of Myanmar to be free from all man-made and natural disasters very soon.
Moreover, I saw photos in the news of local residents celebrating the holy festival in the region west of the Chindwin River which is neighboring my hometown region. When I saw them holding banners that read, “Worship Dhamma. Combust Adhamma,” I was truly inspired by this motto. I believe that preserving Dhamma can naturally put an end to Adhamma. As the noble teachings express, hatred (Dhosa) can be conquered by loving-kindness (Metta) or anti-hatred (Adhosa). Ultimately, atrocities will be defeated by gentle love. Nature will strike those consumed by anger. The Nature of Impermanence will confront those who bully others. In Burmese, the proverb goes, “ငါမဖြုတ်၊ အနိစ္စဖြုတ်ပါလိမ့်မယ်”. I have faith in this natural principle and karmic law. May the Dhamma prevail!
