Uposatha
Introduction
As per Bible, the Sabbath is a religious day of rest every week as ordained
by the Ten Commandments. In Buddhism, this sabbath is the Uposatha. The day
was instituted by the Buddha to honour the request of King Bimbisara. The
Buddha explained that this day was meant to purify the polluted mind which
would in turn lead to inner tranquility and happiness. He urged the monks to
disseminate the teachings to the lay people and recite the Patimokkha every
second day Uposatha Day themselves.
The term Uposatha owes its origin to the Sanskrit word 'upavastha' which
means the pre Buddhist fast day that preceded Vedic sacrifices. The weekly
uposatha is observed on the basis of four phases of the moon - the full
moon, the new moon and two quarter moon in between. In quiet a few
communities, only the new moon and the full moon are kept as the uposatha
day.
Today, the weekly day is observed in mostly the Theravada countries. The
dates are chalked out on the basis of a difficult traditional formula that
is based on the lunar calendar. Because of this, the dates, quiet a number
of times, do not match with actual astronomical dates. To worsen the
situation even more, the various sects of the Theravada Buddhism have
different calendar.
The Five Most Important Uposatha Day
These five full moon uposatha day are of special mention.
- Vesak or the Buddha
Day : The day commemorates the three most important days in
the life of the Buddha – His birth, awakening and parinibbana.
- Asalha Puja
or the Dhamma Day : The Dhamma Day marks the first preachings
of the Buddha which He gave to a group of five monks. After His
discourse came to an end, one of the five monks, Ven. Kondañña,
urged the Buddha to accept Him as His disciple, thus paving way for the
rise of the Noble Sangha. The day also marks the beginning of the annual
Rains Retreat (vassa) the next day.
- Pavarana Day
: The Rains Retreat which begins on the day following the Dhamma
day continues for three months and concludes on the Pavarana day. The
next month sees the celebration of the Kathina ceremony in which laity
come together to make formal offerings of robe cloth and other
requisites to the Sangha.
- Magha Puja or
the Sangha Day : This day marks an important event in the
life of the Buddha when without taking His appointment, 1250 arahants
gathered at the Veruvana Monastery in the Rajgaha city. To this
assembly, the Buddha delivered the Ovada-Patimokkha Gatha, a summary of
the main points of the Dhamma.
- Anapanasati day : When the Rains Retreat came to an end,
the Buddha was extremely happy with the development of the assembled
monks. So much so, that He urged them to extend their retreat for yet
another month. At the end of the fourth month, He gave His instructions
on the mindfulness of breathing.
The Observance Practice
The day for a lay practioner is basically meant for observance of the Eight
Precepts. They have to reaffirm their faith and commitment to the Dhamma. If
a monastery is nearby, lay practioners visit them and present their
offerings to the Sangha. Listening to the Dhamma talks, chanting special
suttas and practising meditation in the late night also forms part of their
practice.
For the monastic community, however, the practice differs a bit. They are
required to undertake more intensive reflection and meditation. On the full
and New Moon days, the recitation of the Bhikkhu Patimokkha (monastic rules
of conduct) takes place. However, before the commencement of the recitation,
the monks have to confess whether they have violated any monastic rules to
another monk of the Sangha. The recitation itself, can take, anywhere
between 30 minutes to an hour. In a number of monasteries, physical labour
is stopped for the day.
Vesak or Visakha Puja
Significance of Vesak & Its
History
Vesak, the most important day in the Buddhist calendar around the world,
celebrates the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Gautam Buddha. Its
significance lies in it being associated with the Buddha and His universal
message of peace. Though festivals were celebrated since long around the
time around which Vesak is celebrated today, yet, the formal decision to
mark it as the Buddha Day was taken at the first Conference of the World
Fellowship of Buddhists (W.F.B.). This conference was held at Sri Lanka in
1950 and the resolution adopted here read,
"That this Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, while
recording its appreciation of the gracious act of His Majesty, the Maharaja
of Nepal in making the full-moon day of Vesak a Public Holiday in Nepal,
earnestly requests the Heads of Governments of all countries in which large
or small number of Buddhists are to be found, to take steps to make the
full-moon day in the month of May a Public Holiday in honour of the Buddha,
who is universally acclaimed as one of the greatest benefactors of Humanity."
The Name Vesak - In India
& Other Countries
The 2nd month in Hindu calendar is known as 'Vaisakha' and it is from here
that Vesak draws its name. Vesak, itself, is a Sinhalese word for Pali
'Visakha'.
Vesak is known by different names in different countries. In India,
Bangladesh and Nepal, it is Visakah Puja or Buddha Purnima while in
Thailand, it is called Visakha Bucha. Buddhist in Vietnam celebrate it as
Phat Dan while those in Indonesia call it Waisak. Sri Lankan and Malaysian
Buddhist term it as Vesak (Wesak) and Tibetan Buddhist as Saga Dawa. In Laos
and Myanmar, the festival is known as Vixakha Bouxa and Ka-sone
respectively.
The Celebration Date - 2008
Vesak is celebrated on the first full moon of the Tauras (an astrological
sign) which is quiet often in May in common years and June in leap years. In
coming years, Vesak will be celebrated on following dates:
2008 - 18th June
The Celebrations
Vesak is a completely religious festival wherein the Buddhist are required
to reaffirm their faith in the Buddha Dharma and vow to lead a noble
religious life.
For this, Buddhist devotees gather in their respective area temple before
dawn and attend the honourable hoisting of the Buddhist flag. Hymns are sung
exalting the holy triple jewel - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
Offerings of flowers, candles and joss sticks are made. These offerings are
symbolic of the ultimate reality of life - death. As the flowers wither away
and the joss sticks burn out in time, so the life is destined to come to an
end in due course of time.
Devotees are also called upon to avoid any kind of killing and eat
vegetarian food on the day. In quiet a few countries, particularly in Sri
Lanka, two days are marked out for the celebration of Vesak and all liquor
shops and slaughter houses are closed by government orders. Also, a number
of animals and birds are set free from captivity in a 'symbolic act to
liberation'.
Buddhist monks recite verses given by the Buddha some 2500 years ago and
call upon people to live with peace and harmony. Also, they urge people to
respect other religious faiths as preached by their great teacher, Lord
Buddha.
Unlike usual festivals, where people dress up beautifully and prepare
delicious dishes, during Vesak, Buddhists, endeavour to bring a bit of
happiness in the life of miserable people like the aged, handicapped and the
sick. For this, they give away gifts in both cash and kind. Apart from this,
devotees also distribute food amongst those who come into the temple to pay
homage to the Buddha. Also, they lend a helping hand to adorn and lighten up
the temple and paint scenes from the life of the Buddha.
Some Similar Festivals
Though Vesak is the main festival that marks the birth, enlightenment and
passing away of Buddha, yet, in many other countries, festivals that mark
only the birth of Buddha are also celebrated. Prominent amongst these is
Hana-matsuri, also known as the Flower festival and celebrated on April 8 in
Japan. In Hongkong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea, the 8th day of the 4th
moon is celebrated as Buddha's Birthday. It is infact, a public holiday in
these countries.
Asalha Puja Day
Background & Significance
One of the most important festivals of the Thervada Buddhists, the Asalha
Puja Day or the Dhamma Day celebrates the first teaching of the Buddha.
Elaborating on this, the Buddha gained enlightenment on the full moon of
Vesakha - the sixth month. After this, He was not too keen to teach, but on
the insistence of His friends who had spent several years journeying the
Gangetic plains with Him, He decided to go to Benaras. From Gaya, the
distance to Beneras where His friends were staying was around 150 miles and
it took Him around two months to reach there. On reaching Beneras, He
delievered His first discourse which consisted of the essence, of the all
future teachings. At the conclusion of His discourse, one of His five
friends Kondañña, exclaimed his understanding of the Truths
just preached and urged the Buddha to accept him as a disciple. This was
followed by an extremely simple ordination process that gave birth to the
the order of monks.
The preaching delievered by the Buddha is quiet often referred to as "setting
into motion the wheel of dhamma," It comprises the four noble truths -
life means suffering (dukka); origin of suffering is attachment(tanha);
cessation of suffering is attainable and finally, the way to cessation is
via the eightfold path. Throughout the world, whatever school of thought a
Buddhist might belong to, the central doctrine of Buddhism for him still
remains the four noble truths.
The festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the 8th lunar month,
Asalha, of the old Indian calendar. Asalha is also the month of the starting
of the monsoon. During this period the Buddha and His monks and nuns would
hold their wanderings. Even today, monasteries keep a three month long
'rains retreat' which commences on the Dhamma day and the concludes on
Pavarana. For all those who desire to join the order but just cannot
renounce their present life, ordination as short term monks is also possible
in this period.
Yet another significance of the Asalha is that it was during this month
that the Buddha's son Rahula was born. It was after this that Buddha gave up
all His royal worldly pleasures to attain spiritual enlightenment and the
truth of life.
Pavarana Day
The Background & the Significance
The Rains Retreat which begins on the full moon day of Asalha (often in
July) comes to an end on the Pavarana Day (often in October). The term
pavarana literally translates into 'inviting admonition or inviting others
to advise one'. The name is closely related to the history of the day. As
per history, a number of wandering monks sought shelter in a residence
during a three months long rainy season. In order to avoid any conflict
amongst themselves, these monks decided to keep a silence for the complete
three months. When the Buddha came to know about the silence of the monks,
He immediately disapproved of it saying that it was not beneficial for any
community. Instead, He advised the monks to come out in open about what they
liked or disliked about the monastic life so that improvements could be made
within.
This marked the beginning of the Pavarana day. On this day, the resident
monks within each monstery invite and reprimand one another and also discuss
the good and bad points of the monastic life. The reprimands are done in a
constructive manner with love and compassion for each other. The topic of
discussion is agreed upon by both parties and disagreement in the matter is
sorted out by discussions. The ceremony helps in bringing about requisite
changes, promotes unity and therefore, without doubt, leads to the
betterment of the community.
The day is also celebrated as the welcoming-ceremony for the Buddha's return
from celestial realm. The story behind it goes that the Buddha spent the
three months of the seventh rains period after his enlightenment in the
Tavatimsa heaven giving Abhidhamma instruction to his mother, Mayadevaputta,
and to the other gods who had gathered. On the Pavarana day, He came back to
the earth with the help of the jewelled stairways. When he returned, people
gathered in a large numbers with alms to welcome the Buddha. This return of
the Buddha from the celestial realm is referred to as 'Devrohana' in Thai
and Pali language. The place where the Buddha returned was Sankisa. For this
reason, Sankisa till date remians one of the eight most revered Buddhist
pilgrimage destinations.
Even today, on this day, people visit Buddhist temples and present alms and
food to the Buddhist monks.
A number of the Mahayana countries do not observe the three months lent
season, vassa, which ends with the Pavarana Day.
The Celebration Time
The Pavarana day is celebrated on full moon day of the 11th lunar month.
This is usually in October.
Magha Puja Day (Four Fold Sangha or Sangha Day)
The Story Of The Festival Goes...
Post the first Rains Retreat (Vassa) at the Deer Park in Sarnath, the
Buddha reached the Rajagaha city. Here, without seeking His permission, 1250
Arahats along with two of the His main disciples, Ven. Sariputta and Ven.
Moggalana, assembled to pay their respect to Him at the Veruvana Monastery.
To this assembly, the Buddha delievered his sermon, or recitation of the
Patimokkha (the rules and regulations of the monastic order).
The Magh Day Puja, today, is celebrated to commemorate this event which
took place early in the life of the Buddha.
On Why It is Called The Magha Puja Day/Four Fold Sangha/Sangha Day
This assembly had four distinct features. First, all those 1250 who
gathered were Arahants. Secondly, they were all ordained by the Buddha
himself. Thirdly, all of them gathered on their own without any prior
invation from the Buddha and lastly the gathering took place on the full
moon day of Magha month (March).
Because of these features, the festival is also known as the Fourfold
Assembly, Magha Puja Day or the Sangha Day.
Siginificance of the Festival
The festival is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the
Buddhist community. The festival honours the Sangha, or the Buddhist
community and offers a chance to the people to reaffirm their faith and
commitment to Buddhist practices and traditions.
The
Sangha or the spiritual community, is extremely important in Buddhism
because it is one of the three jewels of Buddhism apart from the Buddha and
the Dhamma.
Celebration of the Festival
For the ordained community, the festival is a chance to come together and
carry out meetings to discuss various aspects of the Buddhs's teachings,
indulge in group meditation and listen to talks given by senior members of
the community. The Sangha Day is also a time for exchange of gifts and
lighting of oil lamps.
Celebration varies from country to country, however, it is in the west that
more importance is given to the festival.
Time of Celebration
The festival is celebrated on on the full moon day of the third lunar month
(March).
The
Buddhist ideology also raises a question on the authenticity of God's role
in Salvation. The Buddhists argue that, it was Buddha who realised that each
and every person has a capacity to purify his soul and mind and therefore he
encouraged people to find solutions to their problems themselves. He asked
people to follow the path from Heart to Heaven rather than from Heaven to
Heart. And therefore, the Buddhist path to salvation does not go through
prayers, but is rather based on deeds including mental culture through
meditation.
Ajanta
Caves signify the transition from the Hinayana sect of Buddhism to the
Mahayana sect of Buddhism. The Hinayana sect made use of the stupas and
other rock forms to represent Buddha. On the other hand, Mahayana sect
used idols. Cave number 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15 belong to Hinayana, the
older sect. While, those of number 1, 2, 16, 17, 19 and 26 are related
to Mahayana sect. The 19th and 26th caves are Chaityas. Some of the
caves have not been finished till date. 
There
are a total of 34 monasteries and temples inside these caves. All of
them date back to somewhere between 5th century AD and 11th century AD
and have been built in a linear pattern. All the caves have different
religious inclinations. Twelve of the caves (cave number 1 to 12) belong
to the Mahayana sect of Buddhism and were built between 550 AD and 750
AD. Seventeen caves (cave number 13 to 29) comprise of Hindu temples and
were constructed between 600 AD and 875 AD. 
Kanheri
Caves are situated in the heart of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park,
Maharashtra. They lie at a distance of approximately 10 km from
Borivali, Mumbai. They are almost 109 in number and date back to
somewhere between 1st century BC and 9th century AD. Kanheri Caves
signify a golden beginning and the end of Buddhism in the northern
India. Buddhist Monks as well as traders, who traveled for religious
favors, used to make use of these caves on a frequent basis. 
Karla
Caves are situated in the state of Maharashtra, near the Pune-Mumbai
Road. They lie at a distance of approximately 20 km from Lonavla and 40
km from Pune. The caves of Karla date back to the 2nd century BC and are
known for their Chaitya Hall, intricate sculptures and pillars with
ingenious architecture. Chaitya hall boasts of its amazing structural
design. The rooftop is built of teakwood and even the pillars have been
beautifully carved.