Guru Purnima is a festival celebrated by adherents of Buddhism and Hinduism on the full moon of Ashadha, the fourth month of the Hindu calendar. This day is associated with the veneration of spiritual guides. Hindus pay homage to sage Vyasa, and Buddhists celebrate the anniversary of Buddha's first sermon. In 2012, Guru Purnima falls on the third of July in the Gregorian calendar.
For Hindus, Guru Purnima, or a holiday when honors are given to the spiritual mentor, is associated with the name of the legendary sage Vyasa, who was born on that day, who is considered the author of the epic "Mahabharata", one of the characters of which he himself is. Vyasa is credited with the division of the Vedic texts into four parts, as a result of which the Rig Veda appeared, which is a collection of religious hymns, the Yajur Veda, containing a description of the technique of rituals, Sama Veda, which includes the texts pronounced in the process performing rituals, and "Atharva Veda", "Veda of spells." There is a version according to which there were more than twenty sages named Vyasa, who, being the incarnations of such deities of the Hindu pantheon as Vishnu and Brahma, were supposed to transmit Vedic knowledge to people at different periods of world history.
During the festival of Guru Purnima, events from the lives of great spiritual teachers are remembered. On this day, the text of the "Guru-gita" is read, which is the story of Shiva, one of the main deities of the Hindu pantheon, about how to worship a spiritual teacher. The authorship of the Guru-gita is attributed to the same Vyasa. In the temples on this day, a ritual of worshiping Vyasa is performed with the offering of symbolic gifts to him.
For Buddhists, the Guru Purnima holiday is associated with the anniversary of the first sermon of Buddha Shakyamuni, which he, having attained enlightenment, delivered in Rishipatana Park for his companions. Subsequently, they became his first students. This sermon is known as "The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma" and contains the basic tenets of Buddhist teachings.
On the full moon of the month of Ashadha, the followers of this teaching indulge in meditation under the guidance of their mentors, which should help purify their minds and gain inner harmony.