With the holiday season upon us, many people have inquired if and how I plan to celebrate Christmas. This is a good question, and I completely understand since Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus as the human embodiment of God.
Surprisingly, many Buddhists still celebrate Christmas. Buddhists believe Christ’s teachings not only compliment those of Buddha, but that Jesus is a “Bodhisattva”, which is one who forgoes their own benefit to help others and has compassion, kindness and love for all beings. Because of these reasons, many Buddhists see Jesus as a blessing to the earth and have no problems celebrating his birth. This differs from Christian belief as Buddhists recognize the Jesus as a man and teacher, but not a Messiah.
Buddhists also have their own holiday on December 8th, which celebrates the day Buddha achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. This holiday, “Bodhi Day”, is celebrated by eating cookies (preferable heart shaped – which matches the leaves of fig, or Bodhi, tree) and rice, drinking milk and decorating trees with bright lights. In Asia, Buddhists decorate fig trees, but since Western climate can be harsh and these trees cannot survive, many Western Buddhists instead decorate evergreen trees. Buddhists decorate these trees with multi-coloured lights which represent the many different paths to achieve enlightenment.
Buddhists also have no problem with the idea of Santa Clause, as Santa is based on the inspirational acts of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a humble man who helped bring joy into children’s lives through his acts of selflessness and compassion, which are two of the core beliefs of Buddhism.
May you have a wonderful holiday, regardless of what religion you follow!
Peace and Love, Jim
