What is “Feast of Nirvana”?

About 2,500 years ago, in the middle of the second month of the ancient Indian Lunar calendar, Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have given his final teachings. These teaching were put together and conveyed to us in the form of the Nirvana Sutra. The Buddha than passed in to “complete Nirvana” (Parinirvana) just after giving his last teachings. The “Feast of nirvana” is a service to commemorate this important event and an occasion to express our gratitude to “Ever-Present Shakyamuni Tathagata” that lives on as a “dharma body”.Shakyamuni Buddha set out on his final journey when he was 80 years old. Along the way he became seriously ill, and when he reached a place called Kushinsgara he laid himself down between a pair of twin sala trees. There, monastics, lay followers, celestial beings, and even animals gathered around him, wishing to make a final offering. Shakyamuni declined their offerings of flowers and incense, saying that the gretast possible offering is to express the teaching correctly in actions done for the sake of others. To make point clear, he accepted only the last offering made by Chunda, A lay follower, who had put the Buddha’s teaching and had guided many others to the teaching.The principle image of Shinnyo-en is the Reclining Buddha, also known as the Nirvana Buddha. It depicts Shakyamuni Buddha at the time he gave his final teachings. To guide us in our meditation, Shinnyo Kyoshu-sama said, “When we gaze at the image, we return to the past, 2,500 years ago, when the Buddha gave his last discourse on great nirvana. In our hearts and minds, we can envision receiving the teaching directly from him, and offer prayers of gratitude for this rare opportunity.” [Pursuing the Way, pg 84] The “Feast of Nirvana”, together with the “Festival of the Buddha’s Birth” and the “Feast of Enlightenment”, gave us an opportunity to express gratitude and joy for having been able to encounter and practice the Buddha’s teaching in our lifetime.

Source: [* The Nirvana]