BATHING THE BUDDHA
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A ceremony, especially one performed in Asia on the birthday of the
historical Buddha Shakyamuni (Vesak), which falls on the fifteenth
day of the fourth month. In it a miniature image of Shakyamuni,
standing on a lotus throne with right hand pointing toward Heaven
and left hand toward Earth, is bathed with water while flower offerings
are made. The entire sangha participates in this ceremony. This
custom is based on the tradition that immediately after the Buddha’s birth in the Lumbini Grove, nine dragons sprinkled Siddhartha, later
the Buddha Shakyamuni, with water.
