ASALHA PUJA, VASSA, PAVARANA & KATHINA

A S A L H A    P U J A 

August 2, 2012

Sometimes called "Dhamma Day," Asalha Puja commemorates the first sermon of the Buddha. This is the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, meaning the sermon of the Buddha on setting the Wheel of Dhamma in motion. In this sermon, the Buddha explained his doctrine of the Four Noble Truths.

V A S S A 

August 3, 2012

Vassa, the Rains Retreat, begins the day after Asalha Puja. 

Rains Retreat, is the traditional retreat during the rainy season lasting for three lunar months. It usually begins on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month (usually in July) and ends on the full moon of the eleventh month (usually October). 

For this year (2012), the vassa begins on August due to the leap year, where there is extra one lunar month on the calendar. 

During this time Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the vassa to intensive meditation practice. During vassa, Buddhist laypeople participate by bringing food and other necessities to the monks. Some of them reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking (vassa is sometimes known as "Buddhist Lent"). And in countries such as Thailand, the laity will often take monastic vows for the vassa period and then return to lay life. Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting up the number of vassas he has observed.

P A V A R A N A 

October 30, 2012

Vassa concludes with the pavarana ceremony, in which every monk, irrespective of rank or seniority, agrees willingly to receive instruction from any other monk in the monastery if he has acted improperly.

 

K A T H I N A

October 31 — November 28, 2012 

Kathina is a Buddhist festival which comes at the end of vassa. A monastery may choose any convenient day within this one lunar month time period to celebrate this festival. It is a time of giving, for the laity to express gratitude to monks. Lay Buddhists bring donations or requisites to temples, especially new robes for the monks.

FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

"This book will take you deeper in 

your understanding of 
the Four Noble Truths,
not just intellectually but 
in practice itself.
Sayadaw U Khema draws 
the thin line between 
understanding and realisation.
An dispensable reading for
all who seek 

understanding of suffering and 

cessation of suffering."

This book provides you with the essence of the teachings, rich with wisdom, offered with a spirit of generosity of the heart, expounded through Sayadaw's own experience:

• the natural self awareness and the self centered awareness
• two types of Dukkha — one caused by Nature and one caused by our own doings
• the conditioned and the unconditioned states
• how do defilements arise in the mind?
• why we cannot see Tanha (craving) and how to recognise it
• two kinds of consciousness that we should be aware of — the original consciousness and the corrupted consciousness
• what we need to do to cut the links of dependent origination — four simple steps
• three basic steps to practise the Noble Eight Fold Path so that we do not side tracked
• the importance of Right View
• landmarks in the Four Noble Truths — a useful guide for all meditators

AND MORE!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Venerable Sayadaw U Khema Wuntha, Maha Thera holds a BA (Law) and LLB degree from the Burmese University in 1970 and 1971 respectively and was called to the Bar in 1972 and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor. He worked as a government law officer (Burma) from 1972 to 1976. He then practised as a lawyer and migrated to the US in 1983. He was ordained in America as a Bhikkhu in 1985 under  the Most Venerable Sayadaw U PAÑÑĀ VAMSA, Chief Monk of Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple Penang and Chief monk of the Burmese Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles, America.

In 1990 Venerable Sayadaw U Khema Wuntha Maha Thera was stationed about a year in Toronto Burmese Temple giving talks and  conducting Meditation retreat  and  thereafter was stationed back to Los Angeles.

Venerable Sayadaw was the Chief Resident Monk in Dhammikarama Buddhist Temple in  Penang from 1996 to 2004. During that period Venerable was conducting meditation classes, Abidhamma study, Dhamma talks and mass ordination of novice monks and samaneras.

Venerable Sayadaw was the Chief Resident Monk in Ratana-Rama Buddhist Temple under  MMBA, Kuala Lumpur. Venerable Sayádaw conducted meditation classes, conducted ordination, taught Abhidhamma and gave Dhamma talks during his stay there.

Venerable Sayadaw also gave dhamma talks, discussions and conducted meditation classes at Chempaka Buddhist Lodge, Section 24, in Petaling Jaya and many other meditation centres including those in Miri and Sibu.

Venerable Sayadaw was based at Sásana Ramsi  Buddhist Temple in Frankfurt, Germany between 2007 and 2008,  helped to  establish the temple, also to conduct meditation classes and Dhamma talks.

In April 2008, Venerable Sayadaw was stationed back in Dhammikarama Buddhist Temple in Penang as the Chief Resident Monk.

Presently, Venerable Sayadaw is the Chief Resident Monk at Burma Buddhist Monastery in California, USA.

Venerable Sayadaw also attended a number of Buddhist conferences, and travelled widely throughout the world.

You can reach Sayadaw U Khema Wuntha at

• Cell Phone:  63099136609 
• Email:  kwuntha@yahoo.com

THE PATHLESS PATH
TO LIBERATION

BUDDHISM AND LIBERATION

KALAMA SUTTA

DEV NI MORI, Buddhist Heritage in India

Gujarat's offering was 

the Buddhist heritage in the state 

and it had a replica of 

4th century Buddha statue 

found in Dev Ni Mori, 

a stone edict of King Ashoka and 

Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang.

Gujarat is a state in western India. It has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,030 km²) with a coastline of 1,600 km, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula, and a population in excess of 60 million. The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea as well as the Pakistani province of Sindh on the west. Its capital is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is home to the Gujarati-speaking people of India.

 

Dev Ni Mori

 

The remains of a Buddhist monastery belonging to 3rd-4th century AD have been unearthed from Dev Ni Mori, about two km south from Shamlaji in the Bhiloda Taluka of Sabarkantha district, on the left bank of the Meso river, just where it emerges into the plains of Gujarat. The presence of a stupa and monastery has reconfirmed that during the early centuries of Christian era, there had been a strong presence of Buddhists in Vadnagar. Excavating of the stupa brought to light an inscribed casket. The inscription clearly mentions that the casket contains bodily relics of Buddha. 

Buddha Status in Dev Ni Mori

 

Government of Gujarat Seal

(This is also the stone edict of King Ashoka)

WORLD PEACE

 

"Without inner peace,

outer peace is impossible.

We all wish for the world peace,

but the world peace

will never be achieved

unless we establish peace

within our own minds."

Ani Choying Dolma is an exceptional singer, admired by fans in Nepal and throughout the world. People are moved to tears by the plaintive purity of her voice, and the haunting melodies of her ancient songs and hymes, passed from master to pupil for many centuries.

DHAMMA TALK by Sayadaw Nyanapurnik (Jnanapurnik) Mahathera of Nepal