Letter 1.22

…Last full moon day was the anniversary of the birth/enlightenment/parinibbána (i.e. bodily extinction - 'death' is a term not applicable to one who has attained nibbána, since upon the attainment there is no longer any 'self' to die) of the Buddha - the 2,511th according to the reckoning of some schools (though Western orientalists usually consider this as 56 years too early) - and there was, apparently, a lot of festivity on the mainland, judging by the distant noise. Here, though, there was no special group observance - only, for each a 'sane and happy' observance. There is no reason to celebrate the fact that we are getting farther and farther away from the Buddha's Teaching…