Vassa (from
Pāli vasso,
Sanskrit , both "rain" - ;
pʰán săː, sometimes ວັດສາ
wāt săː; ,
pansa or
phansaa; ), also called
Rains Retreat, is the traditional
retreat during the
rainy season lasting for three
lunar months from July to October. During this time
Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their
temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive
meditation. During Vassa, many Buddhist lay people reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking (Vassa is sometimes known as "Buddhist
Lent", though at least one prominent Theravada monk has objected to this usage- see ). And in countries such as
Thailand, the
laity will often take
monastic vows for period of Vassa and return to lay life afterwards. Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting the number of Vassas he has observed.
The Vassa retreat has largely been given up by
Mahayana Buddhists, as Mahayana Buddhism has typically flourished in regions without a
rainy season, however for Mahayana schools such as
Zen and
Tibetan Buddhism other forms of
retreat are common.
The observation of Vassa is said to originate with the Buddha himself.
Gautama Buddha ordered his
disciples to observe a pre-existing practice whereby holy men avoided travel for a three month period during the rainy season, in order to avoid damaging
crops.
Vassa begins on the first day of the waning
moon of the eighth
lunar month; the preceding day is
Asalha Puja. The focus of celebration by the laity is the first day of Vassa (or
Wan Kao Pansa -
wán pʰán săː) during which worshippers donate
candles and other necessities to
temples, in a ceremony which has reached its most extravagant form in the
Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival.
Vassa is followed by two of the major
festivals of the year among
Theravada Buddhists,
Wan Awk Pansa and
Kathina.
The end of vassa is marked by joyous celebration. The following month, the
Kathina ceremony is held, during which the laity gathers to make formal offerings of robe cloth and other requisites to the
Sangha.
See also
Links
Category:Festivals in ThailandCategory:Pali words and phrasesCategory:Buddhist festivalsCategory:Burmese cultureCategory:Festivals in IndiaCategory:July observancesCategory:Spiritual retreatsde:Khao Pansafr:Vassanl:Vassann:Vassath:วันเข้าพรรษาzh:結夏安居
