GUWAHATI, May 4 � The Buddha Purnima � the occasion which marks Gautam Buddha�s birth, enlightenment and death � was celebrated across the State along with the rest of the country.
The city, too, saw celebration of the occasion with religious fervour and traditional gaiety. The relevance of Lord Buddha in modern society was underlined at a function held under the auspices of the Assam Theosophical Federation today.
DN Chakravartty, president of the federation, presided over the function.
Initiating the discussion, the principal speaker, Dr Amiya Mohan Das, narrated the non-conventional method through which Buddha wanted to liberate human society from the scourges of war, violence, hatred and selfishness.
Buddha, after undertaking a series of experiments in respect of man�s life and struggle and ultimate death, propagated eight principles, four fundamental truths and 10 codes of conduct. Buddha said that while there are sufferings in human life, there are also definite ways to get relief from sorrows and sufferings.
Buddha prescribed for man a middle path with eight noble principles of right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right contemplation.
Nagendra Chandra Dutta, retired senior bureaucrat, in his discourse, dwelt at length on the basic teachings of Buddha on the path of non-violence, truth, non-attachment and non-addiction.
Pranita Sarma, in her presentation, described the life of Buddha as a process of transformation of the Hindu religion from sacramental orthodoxies to a path of intellectual and spiritual liberation. Amulya Goswami and Ramesh Chandra Sarma, in their speeches, said that teachings of Buddha, although preached over 2,500 years ago, have relevance even today.
�If there were to be a single religion acceptable to mankind, Buddhism, with its universal appeal, would qualify indisputably,� he said. In his presidential remarks, DN Chakravartty described Buddha as the first revolutionary thinker in the gamut of entire world�s religions.
�It was under the influence of Buddha that Mahatma Gandhi accepted truth and non-violence as the basis of his struggle for freedom. Buddha�s 10 principles or �Dasasheel� got reflection in the acceptance of five principles or �Panchasheel� in the Bandung conference of non-alignment.
He added that Buddha was a pragmatic visionary and his teachings would be ever relevant in the societies thousand years hence.
Anil Baruah, secretary of the Assam Theosophical Federation, explained the purpose of the meeting. The meeting ended with a universal prayer. Buddha Purnima was also observed at Panjabari Central Namghar with devotees from 10 namghars joining the daylong naam prasanga.
Ramchandra Mahanta conducted the namprasanga, while Chandra Kumar Baruah recited the Srimad Bhagawat.
