Question asked by Anonymous
Hello! I have 2 questions. Earlier this year I celebrated Vesak Day. In Kechara you guys celebrated it on May 15, but in America we are 12 hours behind. I celebrated it on May 15 but in Malaysian time it was already May 16. Which day was right? Will the merits still count? Will the karma still be multiplied? My second question is that how can we dispose Dharma related items. Like on a calender when it was wesak day, it had a Buddha Image on it. How can we throw it away without disrespecting it and collecting negative karma?
Dear Anonymous,
In regards to the day that Wesak is celebrated, you celebrated on the correct day. It is according to the time period of your region when you celebrate. So since was celebrated on the 15th, then you celebrate on the 15th even though in another part of the world, it was already the 16. The merits of course still count and they are still multiplied. What matters more if how you spend the day, what you do to generate merit and the types of prayers that you make with faith on that day.
In regards to disposing of Dharma items, there is something called “dissolution” to be done on those items before they are respectfully disposed of. This is where you invite the energies of the Three Jewels into yourself. This is generally done for Dharma texts, but can be done for images in those texts as well. You can find a quick video guide on how to do this here: https://www.kechara.com/how-to-dissolve-dharma-items/
I hope this helps.