การเฉลิมฉลองวันมาฆบูชา : หน้า 63/126

Quinine enthusiasti- celebrated Magha Pujā Day to commemorate the cally looked forward to the day the Lord Buddha pre- ached the so-called "Ovāda pățimokkha" to his 1,250 disciples who were arahants (ones who are free from all fetters, defilements and impurities; they are free from rebirth) to be the sig- nificant principle for each of them to spread Budd- hism. day, then took part in it joyfully. "Quinine, would you mind talking about the Magha Pujā night at Wat Phra Dhammakaya?" "Oh! fantastic! It looked like the Roman Empire" "Have you ever seen the Roman Empire?" "Oh, no." she laughed. "I don't know what to compare it with. I think so because of the enormous arch raising above the huge golden Buddha image locating on top of the man- made hill, the brilliance caused by several spot lights directing on to the golden image and nearly two thousand monks in the yellow robes sitting around it, including the music background which was firstly lound and gradually became softer and softer then sound of chanting began...er... there were all pictures, colours, light, and sound. How beautiful they were! ...but it looked tranquil and sacred...and when thousands and thousands of candle lamps around the hill were simultan- eously lit up under the moonlight...oh! the brilliant ground was so picturesque that I don't know how to say in words... Well, the holy night has impressed me all along. The brilliance during the night would help me to reach inner brightness easily. Indeed, I would like people all over the world to see the brightly holy night performed at Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Though I am a long way from Thai- land, I expect to join the Buddhist holy days with a big group of Singaporeans again and again..." พฤษภาคม ๒๔๓๑ Kalyanamitra.org ๖ด