Meak Bochea to celebrate the initial ordination of monks

Meak Bochea is the second most important celebration for Buddhists. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the third lunar month, which falls on February 19 this year. On this day, in addition to the periodic teachings given to the 1,250 disciples who came spontaneously to the site, the Buddha announced the creation of an enlightened community: the first monks came into being. 

The day of saints

The story dates back about 2,500 years, when, seven years after the Buddha began his spiritual teachings, he decided to go to the Veḷuvana grove near Rājagaha (now Rajgir) in northern India. Here, his 1,250 first disciples gathered eagerly, without prior invitation. These were those he had ordained himself, his direct spiritual descendants. The deity then offered everyone a sermon that set the framework for an ideal, exemplary, enlightened community: that of the monks, whose mission was to spread his teachings. Three aspects were then emphasized: purity, patience, and discipline.

The Buddha chose this date, 45 years later, to announce to the monastic community that he would die three months later. In Cambodia, as in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, devotees gather during Meak Bochea to symbolically light candles, make offerings, and join in religious processions with chanting and prayers.

Oudong, the resting place of his blood

In Cambodia, the government and the people of the Phnom Penh region currently celebrate Meak Bochea, as they have for the past fifteen years, at Oudong, on Mount Preah Reachtroap. Here rests a relic containing the Buddha's blood. Over 300 monks have been invited by the President of the National Assembly, Héng Samrin. Khmer devotees who cannot be present in Oudong have the option to go to nearby pagodas and temples to make offerings and bring food.

Thibault Bourru