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14-610: Thadingyut, the seventh month of the Myanmar calendar, is the end of the Buddhist sabbath or Vassa . Thadingyut festival at least lasts for three days: the day before the full moon day, the full moon day (when Buddha descends from heaven) and the day after the full moon day. Buddha's mother, Maya , died seven days after the Buddha was born and then she was reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven as

28-461: A male deva . In order to show the gratitude for motherhood, Buddha preached Abhidhamma to that deva who was his mother for three Lenten months. When he was descending back to the mortal world, Sakra-devanam-indra , the ruler of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, ordered all the saints and evils to make three precious stairways. Those stairways were made of gold, silver and ruby. The Buddha took

42-561: A practice also observed in Tibetan Buddhism . Vassa begins on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month, which is the day after Asalha Puja or Asalha Uposatha ("Dhamma day"). It ends on Pavarana , when all monastics come before the sangha and atone for any offense that might have been committed during Vassa. 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

56-537: Is a Theravada Buddhist festival which typically takes place in July, on the full moon of the Āsādha month. It is celebrated in Indonesia , Cambodia ( Khmer : ពិធីបុណ្យអាសាឡ្ហបូជា ), Thailand , Sri Lanka , Laos , Myanmar and in other countries with Theravada Buddhist populations. In Indonesia , the festival is centered at Mendut Temple and Borobudur Temple , Central Java . Asalha Puja, also known as Dharma Day ,

70-510: Is one of Theravada Buddhism's most important festivals, celebrating as it does the Buddha's first sermon, the Sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath , in which he set out to his five former associates the doctrine that had come to him following his enlightenment. This first pivotal sermon, often referred to as “setting into motion the wheel of dhamma,” is the teaching which is encapsulated for Buddhists in

84-558: The Four Noble Truths : there is suffering ( dukkha ); suffering is caused by craving ( tanha ); there is a state ( nibbana ) beyond suffering and craving; and finally, the way to nirvana is via the Noble Eightfold Path . All the various schools and traditions of Buddhism revolve around this central doctrine. This first sermon is not only the first structured discourse given by the Buddha after his enlightenment, it also contains

98-568: The wet season , Vassa lasts for three lunar months , usually from July (the Burmese month of Waso, ဝါဆို ) to October (the Burmese month of Thadingyut, သီတင်းကျွတ် ). In English, Vassa is also called Rains Retreat . While Vassa is sometimes casually called " Buddhist Lent ", others object to this terminology. For the duration of Vassa, monastics remain in one place, typically a monastery or temple grounds. In some monasteries, monks dedicate

112-661: The Vassa to intensive meditation . Some Buddhist lay people choose to observe Vassa by adopting more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking. In Thailand, the sale of alcohol is prohibited on the first ( Wan Khao Phansa ) and last ( Wan Ok Phansa ) days of Vassa. Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting the number of vassas (or rains ) since ordination . Mahayana Buddhists also observe Vassa. Vietnamese Thiền and Korean Seon monastics observe an equivalent retreat of three months of intensive practice in one location,

126-480: The elders tell their youngsters that they forgive any of their wrongdoings and continue to bless them with good luck and gift pocket money. It is also usual for younger siblings to pay homage to their older siblings. In return, the elder ones wish good luck for them and give them some pocket money. Vassa Vassa ( Pali : vassa- , Sanskrit : varṣa- , both "rain") is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada Buddhists. Taking place during

140-462: The essence of all his subsequent teaching. At the end of the talk, one of the five participants recounted his understanding of what had been said and asked to be received as a disciple, a request the Buddha granted, thus establishing the first order of monks. The day is observed by donating offerings to temples and listening to sermons . The following day is known in Thailand as Wan Khao Phansa ; it

154-529: The middle one with the ruby. The Nats ( Deva ) came along by the right golden stairways and the Brahmas from the left silver stairways. Buddhists celebrate Thadingyut to welcome the Buddha and his disciples by enlightening and festooning the streets, houses and public buildings with colored electric bulbs or candles, which represent those three stairways. During Thadingyut Festival, there are zat pwes (Myanmar musical plays), free movie shows and stage shows on most of

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168-416: The monks and offer foods. And some Buddhists usually fast on the full moon day . Young people usually pay respect ( gadaw ) to their parents, teachers, and elderly relative and offer them some fruits and other gifts. Also while paying homage the younger people usually ask for forgiveness from the wrong-doings they have caused upon their parents or the other elderly relatives throughout the year. Traditionally

182-522: The monks. The Vassa tradition predates the time of Gautama Buddha . It was a long-standing custom for mendicant ascetics in India not to travel during the rainy season as they may unintentionally harm crops, insects or even themselves during their travels. Many Buddhist ascetics live in regions which lack a rainy season. Consequently, there are places where Vassa may not be typically observed. Asalha Puja Āsāḷha Pūjā ( Thai : อาสาฬหบูชา )

196-477: The streets around the country. There are also a lot of food stalls, which sell a variety of Myanmar traditional foods and shops, which sell toys, kitchen utensils, and other items on most of the streets. Sometime people just walk around in those streets just for sightseeing and have fun. Some people like to play with firecrackers and fire balloons. During the festival days, Buddhists usually go to pagodas and monasteries to pay homage to Triple Gems, paying respect to

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