Buddhist Holy Days

Buddhist Holy Days

There are many special or holy days held throughout the year by the Buddhist community. Many of these days celebrate the birthdays of Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition or other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar. The most significant celebration happens every May on the night of the full moon, when Buddhist all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. It has become to be known as Buddha Day.

Buddhist Festivals are always joyful occasions. Typically on a festival day, lay people will go the the local temple or monastery and offer food to the monks and take the Five Precepts and listen to a Dharma talk. In the afternoon, they distribute food to the poor to make merit and in the evening join perhaps in a ceremony of circumambulation a stupa three time as a sign of respect to the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha. The day will conclude with evening chanting of the Buddha’s teachings and meditation.

Magha

Magha is the third lunar month of the old Indian calendar. It usually falls somewhere toward the end of February or early March.

The origin story of this festival tells of a spontaneous gathering, from many separate parts of the countryside, of 1250 fully enlightened monks. They had all quite independently decided to go and visit the Buddha and assembled on the full moon day of Magha in the Bamboo Grove at Rajagaha where the Buddha was currently living. All of these monks were direct disciples of the Buddha – having been ordained by him. Because of this gathering the full moon of Magha has come to be known as ‘Sangha day’ and is a time when monastics will make an effort to gather together to share their knowledge and experiences. In the West this is toward the end of winter when many of the monasteries have just finished a long retreat and such a gathering is a very joyous time. Many would not have seen each for some time and with the arising of spring and the end of a long retreat there is much to share.

It is said that on the last year of his life, on the full moon of Magha, the Buddha declared that he would pass away in three months time. Whether or not the tradition of commemorating this gathering had been established at this point is unknown but the Buddha might have used such an event to make this announcement. Regardless of this possibility such an auspicious declaration adds significance to this moon day.

The day is a consideration of what it means to be part of sangha – this includes the fourfold sangha; lay men and women, monks and nuns but because of the origin of the event it tends not to be so significant for lay people. For the ordained community who have come together there may be a series of meetings to discuss various aspects of the teachings, periods of group meditation, talks given by senior members of the community (both resident and visiting) and a variety of other events – often quite spontaneous – over a period of several days.

Vesakha

Vesak is probably the most universally celebrated festival in the whole Buddhist calendar. In the Theravada tradition it is a remembrance of the three most significant events in the Buddha’s life – his birth, enlightenment and final passing. Tradition has it that these all took place on the full moon of Vesakha. It is unlikely that this is historically accurate but that these three events are celebrated on the same day gives great importance to the occasion. The day is very much centered around devotional practices; especially in relation to a recollection of the life of Gotama Buddha and there are often readings from scriptural texts or contemporary commentaries of various stories from his life. These would be interspersed with periods of meditation. Shrines and the Buddha images in particular will receive a lot of attention on this day.

The coming of a Buddha – an enlightened being – into the world is seen as tremendously important. The teachings given by such a being are seen as a light that dispells the darkness of ignorance and the use of lights or lanterns is common as a way of marking this festival. In Sri Lanka much is made of this with great processions and illuminated floats.

A circumambulation [see: RITUALS] is commonly part of the evening’s events and both the monastery generally and the path walked at this time will often have been decorated during the day with a variety of lights brought by visiting families. These will be lit just prior to the circumambulation to illuminate the way and candles or lanterns will often be carried by those in the procession..

Vesakha Puja is often called Buddha day.

Pavarana

Pavarana usually falls during the eleventh lunar month – October – and it marks the end of the three month ‘rains retreat’ which began on the full moon of Asalha. Literally ‘pavarana’ means ‘inviting admonition’.

The three month period (vassa) is often used by lay and monastic folk alike to make a variety of determinations; to take up a particular devotional or meditation practice, to challenge or renounce some old habit – like eating sugar or smoking or drinking coffee (or worse). In Asia this may even be taken to the extent of lay folk taking temporary ordination for all or part of this time. The full moon of Pavarana marks the end of this period and is a time of celebration. For those who have maintained a strict practice it means they can relax a bit; hopefully having learnt something about the particular thing they had been investigating and not falling back into old habits.

For monastics it ends a period of containment within the boundaries of the monastery.
The Buddha appreciated how this containment can sometimes cause difficulty between people and he outlined a ceremony to be performed by the monks and the nuns on the Pavarana day. There are several aspects to this ceremony but the underlying spirit is one of asking for admonishment. This is not that one wants a good telling off but invitation is formally given to one’s ordained brothers and sisters to offer any reflections on one’s past behaviour. This invitation need not be taken up then and there but an opening is created.
The words of part of the ceremony are as follows:

Kathina

Kathina is a festival that takes place during the months of October and November. For 2500 years families have gathered to take part in the largest alms-giving ceremony of the Buddhist year. Friends, old and new, parents and children join together in a celebration on the theme of harmony. Kathina occurs at the end of the Vassa. During this three month retreat, the residents of the monastery have been obliged by their Rule not to travel unless absolutely necessary; now some of them will move on. This may mean resuming the life of a mendicant wanderer, or going to live in another monastery – so it’s a time for leave-taking and extending a welcome. Also, as winter approaches, the supporters are checking to see that the basic needs of the samanas are being met. It is with regard to the offering of these requisites that this festival comes about.

Origins:

According to the scriptures, a group of thirty bhikkhus (monks) were journeying together with the intention of spending the retreat season with the Buddha. However the Vassa began before they reached their destination and it was required that they stop travelling. Accordingly, although they lived harmoniously during the retreat, the bhikkhus were unhappy at not being able to be with the Master. When they were allowed to travel again, the bhikkhus continued on to see the Buddha. Hearing of their unhappy sojourn, he decided to cheer them up by allowing them to roam freely after the Rains Retreat to gather cloth for robes. The Buddha knew that nothing is so uplifting as sharing and generosity, and so then established a procedure whereby the bhikkhus could agree among themselves to make a gift of the cloth so acquired to one of their number. And so, when they had enough cloth, the bhikkhus set about sewing a robe. In those days the method used involved spreading the pieces of cloth on a frame and stitching them together. This frame was called a Kathina.

Today:

From that time until now, lay supporters have made a point of offering cloth at the end of the Vassa; it being allowed that this offering can take place at any time during the four weeks following the end of the retreat. The Sangha are not allowed to request the offering, so it is important that the initiation of the offering and its organisation be done entirely by the lay people. Actually, the ceremony is held in such high esteem that it is rare that the Kathina doesn’t take place and supporters will usually agree on a date with the abbot of the monastery well in advance. The cloth, according to the Buddha’s advice, must be offered to the whole Sangha, not to any particular individual, so that the bhikkhus have to formally agree as to which of them should receive the cloth. About three metres of cloth are needed: enough to make up at least one of the main robes. Once the cloth has been offered, the entire community tries to take part in the activity of sewing the new robe, it being stipulated that this robe be cut, sewn and finished before the dawn of the next day. Until recent times finishing always involved dyeing the robe as well, and even today, in traditional forest monasteries in Burma and Thailand, white cloth is given and whilst some of the bhikkhus are cutting and sewing, others are preparing the bath of natural dye.

The Ceremony:

Usually one person has undertaken the task of co-ordinating the occasion; this work may have started as far back as the Kathina of the previous year. Although all that is required is enough cloth to make up one robe, it’s usually the case that all sorts of things are offered: everything from socks to tools to stamps and winter fuel. On the day of the festival people begin arriving at the monastery early – some may have come the night before. Bhikkhus and nuns from other monasteries will have been invited and be gathering also. By about 10:00 a.m. everyone is beginning to settle and at around 10.30 a.m. a meal is offered to the Sangha and then everyone helps themselves to the remainder of the food. About 1.00 p.m. the ceremonial offering of cloth and requisites takes place with one donor leading the assembly of lay people in taking the Refuges and Precepts and then announcing the offering using the following formula. This would be done in both Pali and English.

“May we venerable Sirs, present these robes together with the other requisites to the Sangha.
So, Venerable Sirs, please accept these robes and the other requisites from us, for our long-lasting welfare and happiness.”

The cloth is formally presented to two bhikkhus who have been agreed upon by the Sangha. In turn they announce the donation of all the Kathina offerings and then nominate one senior and well-respected member of the community to receive the robe once it has been made up. The unanimous agreement in silence by the Sangha is strengthened by the collective utterance of “Sadhu” (it is well). At this point some of the bhikkhus leave and begin cutting the cloth. Later, others will join them. The formal Sangha Act (Sangha Kamma) of receiving a Kathina offering will be completed later in the evening (sometimes very late depending on whether or not the sewing goes smoothly) when the finished robe is ceremonially presented to the appointed bhikkhu.

Part of the acknowlegement of the offering by the two appointed bhikkhus:

– Source : www.thespiritualsanctuary.org