Enjoy peace by turning negative emotions into positive ones

3 August


Dhammacakka day – ‘The turning of the wheel of teaching’ falls on the Fullmoon Day of Waso, today. This is a Theravada celebration of the First Proclamation by the Buddha to five ascetics in the Deer Park at Sarnath. The main activity that takes place on this day is the chanting of the discourse known as the Dhamma Cakka Sutta (the Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Truth). This would usually be in the original Pali language. The month of Waso marks the beginning of the three months long retreat period for Buddhist monks, a period of meditation and restraint, and it is also a time when lay Buddhists offer robes to the monks. Dhammacakka day is a very important holy day for the Theravada Buddhists. This religious festival day is celebrated on the full moon of Waso. It is meant to celebrate the very first teachings from the Buddha.


In His first discourse, the Buddha taught his five friends the Middle Way, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths, the essence of all subsequent Buddhist teaching. He also ordained them as his followers, the first step towards the foundation of the Sangha of Buddhist monks. By practising His Middle Way, we can achieve enlightenment in our lifetime. One could transform the negative emotions such as anger, desire, fear, and anxiety into the positive energy of love, peace, and happiness by training the mind through practicing righteous conduct highlighted in Gautama Buddha’s “Eightfold Path.”


Coincidently, yesterday, one day ahead of the Dhammacakka Day, the two-day meeting of the Union Government and the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement signatories ethnic armed organizations brought positive results which will allow the two sides to move forward to our country’s total peace.


The peace negotiators of the two sides brought the positive results to the country by transforming their fear and anxiety into the positive energy of love, understanding and friendship. We are confident that their efforts “with the wisdom and vision of peace” would “help us to create unity out of our diversity, to develop the potential of our people, and to meet the challenges of a nation in quest of sustainable peace and development.