Buddhist calendar
The Buddhist era (English: Buddhist Era / BE ) is a calendar used mainly in the countries of southern Buddhism ( Sri Lanka , Myanmar , Thailand, etc.) and begins with the year Siddhartha Gautama died (544 BC ).
According to the Buddhist calendar , the year 2020 of the Gregorian calendar is the year 2563, provided that 543 BC. As the year 1 BE is seen. In the publications of some non-Asian Buddhist communities (especially Australia, Europe, and the USA) there are therefore often two dates. However, the usual time calculation in Thailand sets the year of the Parinirvana of the Buddha as year 0, so the year 2018 in the alternative Buddhist time calculation ( Thailand , Laos ) is the year 2561 BE
The abbreviation BBE ( Before Buddhist Era ) is used for years before the Buddhist calendar (e.g. birth of Siddhartha Gautama 80 BBE).
Since there are very different ideas about the New Year in Buddhist countries , a year of the Buddhist calendar can be on January 1st, with the first spring new moon (Tet festival, Chinese New Year ), with the fourth full moon of the lunar year ( Vesakh ), or another day kick off.
However, since the 2500 year celebrations for the Buddha Jayanti Year in 1956, the Buddhist calendar with the beginning of January 1st has prevailed worldwide.
Web links
- Time calculations in Thailand and Asia
- Note from Georg Krauskopf on finding the date in 'Die Heilslehre des Buddha'.
Individual evidence
- ↑ accesstoinsight.org: Theravada Buddhism A Chronology (also given in 480 BC), German translation