Then, the image that appeared before me became the atmosphere of an evening in
Savatthi that I was familiar with. But today was a special day, it was a full moon day.
Because I saw it gradually appear clearly in the east from dusk. It had a soft white light
and a large round shape, contrasting with the foreground, which was the towering
spire of a Hindu temple. Today the image of the temple looked more beautiful than
usual, because of the decoration with thousands upon thousands of lanterns, lamps,
and candles in every part of the temple, making it brightly lit, visible from a distance,
and the sound of the Mahori drums playing loudly throughout.

After completing our daily duties, tonight I and the group of over two hundred people
intended to travel to see the Buddha at Buppharam Temple, located southeast of
Savatthi.

On the way from Jetavana Temple, we walked past people dressed beautifully in
competition with each other. But one thing was the same: everyone had a long white
cloth draped diagonally around one shoulder, indicating that they would participate in
the rituals held at the Hindu temple. In their hands, they carried containers made of
banana leaves filled with colorful flowers, some small, some large, depending on their
status. In the center of the flowers were three or four incense sticks. The other hand
held a small earthenware dish with raised edges, filled with beeswax and a wick for
lighting. Along both sides of the road around the city, many lanterns were decorated to
symbolize that today was a special day.

The area around the Hindu temple was occupied by a market selling various goods,
including miscellaneous items, jewelry, and clothing, as well as entertainment,
performances, and shows, such as traveling theater, magicians, vaudeville, and fortune
tellers. The atmosphere of today looked lively and exciting, especially. It looked similar
to the atmosphere of a temple fair today, but it looked more magical and ancient. And
the difference was that the venue was a Hindu temple, not a Buddhist temple.

“Lord, what day is today?” I asked Lord Phoche in the middle of looking around
excitedly.

“Today is ‘Maha Shivaratri,’ which is held on the 15th day of the waxing moon in the
third month of every year. Everyone in this city will participate in the worship of Shiva
with three offerings: flowers, incense, and fire. This tradition is widely practiced
throughout the Suvarnabhumi region. If you were to see this ceremony in the city that
is known as the center of Hinduism, or the Dvaravati kingdom, it would look a hundred
or a thousand times more magnificent,” Lord Phoche explained.

“Uh… I’m not sure if today coincides with an important Buddhist holiday. I think it’s
Makha Bucha Day,” I asked.

“Yes, it’s the same day. But the Makha Bucha Day you’re talking about was only
established more than two thousand years after the Buddha’s passing, around 2300
BE.” Lord Phoche replied.

“Is it related to this Shivaratri day? Why is it the same day?” I asked.

“It’s not related to Shivaratri day, but the timing coincides with the legend of you and
your friends.”

“The legend of me? That’s exciting. Can you tell me?” I requested.

“Continue to experience it yourself. You will understand everything about its origin,”
Lord Phoche replied.

“Okay,” I replied.

Achita Bhikkhu’s group took more than 2 hours to travel from Jetavana Temple, leaving
before dark and arriving at Buppharam Temple around 7:30 PM. Throughout the
journey, I felt the eagerness that arose in Achita’s heart. He hurried to reach his
destination as quickly as possible. Normally, on this night, according to Hindu tradition,
those who participate in the Shivaratri ceremony do not sleep all night. For the general
public, they travel to the Hindu temple or the place where the Shiva idol or Lingam is
enshrined. They gradually bring clean water to bathe the Lingam, along with oil lamps,
incense, and flowers as offerings. After that, everyone finds a place to sit around the
Hindu temple, with clear divisions of seating according to class and status, to listen to
the chanting that will come from inside until morning. The Brahmins will chant hymns
praising Shiva repeatedly inside the Hindu temple throughout the night. The
atmosphere of this ritual is considered sacred. Those who have the opportunity to
participate in the ceremony consider themselves to have received great merit.
Especially those who are wealthy, those who donate a lot of property to the Hindu
temples of the Brahmins, will be praised and given special seating.

When Achita’s group, who used to be Brahmins, ordained as monks with the Buddha,
those traditions were abolished among the monks. But they couldn’t help but do
something according to tradition, especially for their teachers or those they respected.
So tonight, they intended not to sleep and agreed to travel to see the Buddha.

In Achita’s heart at this moment, he felt that someone was waiting for him. And when
he stepped onto the last step of the stairs leading to the courtyard in front of
Buppharam Temple, he found that it wasn’t just Achita’s group who had come to see
the Buddha. The scene he saw was a large number of people sitting cross-legged in a
circle on the open space. There were monks, kings, wealthy people, and commoners,
and each person had an earthenware dish with beeswax to provide a small light in
front of them. Because the person who donated the funds to build Buppharam Temple
was a woman, this place was a residence for nuns and laywomen who were devoted to
the Buddha’s teachings. Like those who came to see the Buddha today, most of whom
were women.

“Wow… what’s going on? Why are there so many people? Who are they?” I asked Lord
Phoche.

“It’s an unplanned gathering of 1,250 Arhats,” Lord Phoche replied.

“Lord, this meeting of 1,250 Arhats without prior arrangement? So… is this the origin
of the legend of Makha Bucha Day?” I asked further.

“Yes,” he replied.

“But as far as I know, this event happened early on, not long after the Buddha’s
enlightenment, and it happened at Veluvana Temple in Rajagaha, not here, right? Also,
the image I see now is not like the image I used to imagine. That is, there is the Buddha
sitting on a platform, and only bald male monks sitting listening to the Buddha’s
sermon,” I asked, making observations to compare with the paintings I had seen in the
history of Makha Bucha Day.

“The information you received is not wrong. In the early days of enlightenment and
traveling to propagate the method of being Buddha, causing many people to be able to
be Buddha, most of whom were ascetics and Brahmins, because they were seeking
methods to attain the truth. When someone told them about a shortcut, they were
ready and able to attain it immediately. So, in the first year of enlightenment, on
Shivaratri day, the Brahmins who had attained Arhatship were grateful to their
teachers, so they traveled to see the Buddha,” he replied.