"Happy Honey Full Moon Day"
Honey is known to have a long history and is being used as a sweetener for thousands of years. The inherent properties of raw honey even popularized it as natural medicine. As such it was popularly used as a cure for various ailments during ancient times. Honey brings back the essence of the ancient sweetener.
Honey is essentially associated with Buddhism which closely connects to nature. Gautama Buddha, the preacher of simple living believed in the power of nature. For him, all sentient beings are obliged to follow the rules of nature. As such, many of his teachings were taken from the animals, leaves, fruits, and even the seasons. Of the many nature’s blessings, honey, the sweet produce of the bees holds a significant place in Buddhism. Lord Buddha mentioned honey as one of the five vital medicines. Legend says that honey gave nourishment to Gautam Buddha preceding and following his enlightenment. Thus, Buddhist followers believe honey to be auspicious food. We will delve into the significance of honey in Buddhism.
The Story of Honey in Buddhism.
Legend says that after his enlightenment, Buddha traveled all through ancient India spreading his word to his disciples. On his visit to Kaushambi, a prosperous city during ancient times, a dispute arose among monastic followers. Buddha made several attempts to resolve the quarrel but was unsuccessful as the people were adamant. To show his dissatisfaction with their conduct, Buddha left and retired to Parileyya Forest.
During Buddha’s retreat in the forest, an elephant named Palilayaka came to him. He looked after Buddha, protected the Lord from wild animals, and brought him fruits and water. Seeing him, a monkey brought a honeycomb for Buddha to eat. Buddha took the offering, however, he did not eat it. The monkey on realizing it took back the honeycomb wherein he found bee larvae. It cleaned the honey of the larvae and brought back pure honey to Buddha which he accepted. When Buddha ate the honey, the monkey was overjoyed. In his excitement, the monkey began to jump from tree to tree. While doing so, he suffered a fall and died. However, because of his devotion to Buddha, the monkey found a place in Heaven.
On the very same day, the monks ended their discord. They took a vow of unity and cooperation which is one of the major principles of the Buddhist sangha. When the monastic community found Buddha, the Lord preached some sacred lessons. Buddha thereafter went back to the city and the elephant tried to follow him. However, Buddha stopped him and said he belonged to the forest, not the city where humans are cruel and heartless. The elephant was heartbroken and died in grief. Like the monkey, he also found a place in the Tavatimsa Heaven. These events are believed to have taken place on the day of the full moon which is considered auspicious and celebrated by many Buddhist followers.
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