Nirvana Day is an annual Buddhist festival. It is also known as Parinirvana and is celebrated by some Buddhists on February 15th. Nirvana Day is one of many Buddhist festivals which also include Wesak and Uposatha days. Nirvana Day is the celebration of Buddha's death when he reached total Nirvana, at the age of 80.

On Nirvana Day, Buddhists think about their lives and how they can work towards gaining the perfect peace of Nirvana. Nirvana is believed to be the end of rebirth and is the ultimate aim of Buddhism. It is reached when all want and suffering is gone.

Buddhists celebrate Nirvana by meditating or by going to Buddhist temples or monasteries. Celebrations vary throughout the world. In monasteries Nirvana Day is treated as a social occasion. Food is prepared and some people bring presents such as money, household goods or clothes. Some Buddhists will read passages from The Paranibbana Sutta which describes the last days of Buddha, while others may reflect on those who have recently passed away.

How do you reach Nirvana?
Nirvana is attained by meditating and following the guiding principles of Buddhism, in particular the Four Noble Truths which Buddha experienced whilst he meditated under the Bodhi tree:

• Life is suffering
• Suffering is due to having desires
• Suffering can be ended when overcoming desires
• The way to end suffering is through the Eightfold Path.

The four noble truths have multiple references as well and can be named differently, but they refer to the same thing.

The Eightfold Path is:

• Right view
• Right thought
• Right speech
• Right action
• Right livelihood
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right contemplation

What is meditation?
Buddhists believe that meditation is crucial to well being. It is a way to clear the mind and encourage positive thinking. It also concentrates on ridding the mind of bad thoughts and negative energy.

To meditate you need to find a quiet area where you can concentrate. There are lots of different ways of meditating. Some people sit on a cushion, with their legs crossed, focussing on deep breathing. Others attend classes and learn different techniques and how to meditate for longer sessions.

Why is Nirvana Day celebrated on different days and why does it have different names?
Buddhists use the lunar calendar to define when dates of festivals should take place. Dates when there are a full moon are used often. The different names for Nirvana Day arose due to a split in Buddhist teaching in 100 AD which resulted in the two separate schools of thought, Hinayana and Mahayana. There are now even more, including, for example, Zen Buddhism. Nirvana Day is followed by Mahayana, or Theravada Buddhists, who tend to be people from China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

QCA Scheme of Work:
Unit 7C: Religious Figure, Section 1: Why is the Buddha still remembered today?
Get a range of quotations and discuss why the Buddha is still remembered today. Ask the pupils to list, based on the quotations, the qualities the Buddha had that made his life story endure.

Using a map, show where the Buddha lived and travelled, and locate other religious figures of that time and where they lived. Ask pupils to read through information packs on the life of the Buddha, and then to consider and answer the questions: 'What do the stories tell us about the beliefs of the people who wrote them?', 'What type of source are the stories - historical/myth/parable?'.

Unit 7D: Who was Gotama Buddha? Section 4: What are the Buddha's main teachings?
Teach pupils about the Buddhist scriptures, focusing on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Ask pupils to write down the information, giving a practical example for each part of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Unit 7D: Who was Gotama Buddha? Section 6: How did meditation help the Buddha?
Ask pupils to write an article of not more than 250 words on meditation for a Buddhist magazine. Give them a selection of information on meditation. Pupils work first in pairs to highlight key points and then arrange these in a brief list. Pairs then double up into fours and plan the article (200-250 words). The group plans should include:

• idea/text for a strong opening sentence
• reminder of agreed key points
• idea/text outline for an effective ending

After checking with the teacher each member of the group works on a fuller draft of the article.

RE at KS3
Full details of all QCA schemes of work can be found online at:
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/subjects/

BBC Religion and Ethics - Buddhism
Find out more about Nirvana, also known as Parinirvana.

Radio 1's guide to Buddhism
Useful, easy to access information, and links to other Buddhist sites.

The Buddhist Society
The British Buddhist Society. Includes information about Buddhism as well as details of courses, classes and other events.

Buddhanet
If any queries are left then they will be answered here. Includes a detailed account of the history of Buddhism.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.