Vassa
Vassa (from Pāli vasso, Sanskrit varṣaḥ, both "rain" - Burmese: , Burmese pronunciation: [wàdwín]; Khmer: វស្សាor ព្រះវស្សា; Lao: ພັນສາ [pʰán sǎː], sometimes ວັດສາ [wāt sǎː]; Thai: พรรษา, phansaa), also called Rains Retreat,or Buddhist Lent, is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada practitioners. Taking place during the rainy season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from July (the Burmese month of Waso, ဝါဆ) to October (the Burmese month of Thadingyut သီတ).
For the duration of Vassa,
Bhikkhus remain inside monasteries and temple grounds. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation. During Vassa, some Buddhist lay people choose to observe Vassa by adopting more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol,or smoking. While Vassa is sometimes casually called "Buddhist Lent", others object to this terminology.
Vassa is followed by Kathina, a festival in which the laity expresses gratitude to monks. Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks.
The Vassa tradition dates back to the time of the historical Buddha. The Buddha didn't want mendicant monks to travel during the rainy season as they may unintentionally harm crops and/or insects during their travels.
Many Buddhists live in regions which don't have rainy seasons and as such, the practice isn't practiced worldwide.
See also
References
- ^ Vassa
- ^ Thein, Cherry (July 14-20, 2008). "Shwedagon Pagoda marks the start of Buddhist Lent this week". The Myanmar Times. http://www.mmtimes.com/no427/n003.htm. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Vassa at About.com
- ^ a b c d Lay Buddhist Practice - The Shrine Room, Uposatha Day, Rains Residence
- ^ Was (Thai) Vassa
- ^ a b Vassa (Rains Retreat) and Kathina (Robe Offering) Ceremony
- ^ a b c d Vassa, The Rains Retreat
- ^ Kathina at BBC
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