The Buddha advised his followers that if they were to thrive
they should ‘meet together regularly and in large numbers.’ So
festivals are central to the life of the Triratna Buddhist
community. They provide an opportunity for celebration and the
expression of devotion and gratitude to the Buddha and his
teachings. Buddha Day: the celebration of the Buddha’s
Enlightenment (the full moon of May/June) The Buddha’s
Enlightenment is the central event in Buddhism and we mark this
event on Buddha Day (sometimes called Wesak), the most important
festival in our calendar. Many of the Buddha’s disciples also
attained Enlightenment, and in the centuries that have followed
there have been many other Enlightened masters. They too are
recalled at Buddha Day with readings of accounts of their lives
or from works they wrote themselves. But Enlightenment is also
an ideal to which all Buddhists aspire. So Buddha Day is a
chance to reflect on what it might mean for individual
Buddhists. Read Who Is The Buddha? by Sangharakshita