What Buddha Day means to me

On New Year’s Eve 2020, I was asked to give a talk on “What the Buddha Means to Me” at the London Buddhist Center’s Winter Retreat. So I thought it would be interesting, with Buddha Day 2022 approaching, to go back and review what I said and to see if things had changed in terms of what the Buddha means to me. In the talk, I discussed how my relationship had evolved over the two years since I started my Buddhist journey: from an Aesthetic Appreciation of the Buddha imagery in my house (that I collected before I knew anything about Buddhism!), to Inspiration from hearing his life story on my first Buddhist retreat at Vajrasana Retreat Center, to Connection through the application of his teachings in my life, to Reverence for all that he represented in terms of human potential.

In thinking about this a year or so later, I can see that not a lot has changed. I still feel a strong visual response to my Buddha Rupa and the recently added the Five Jinas (archetypal Buddhas) on my shrine when I meditate. I still feel inspired by reading and discussing key suttas from the Pali Canon in my study group and hearing the teachings in his words. I still feel a sense of connection with the Buddha’s origins as a human being and am reminded that the level of Metta and Compassion that he brought to his day-to-day interactions with people was infinite, but started from the limitations of Siddhartha the man. And I still feel a sense of Reverence when I do a Puja and tap into deeper feelings of what could be possible, if I continue on this path.

I suppose the main difference from that earlier period is that my attempts to go for refuge to the Buddha are deepening, now that I have asked for Ordination training. And in that context, I feel a greater sense of the Buddha as a teacher,  role-model and spiritual friend to all of us. For me, Shakyamuni is a key figure in my Buddhist journey, and so I am always especially happy to celebrate this festival each year.

Happy Buddha Day Everyone

Todd Johnson