Meaning and importance of vassa,

the great tradition of Buddhism

- Bhikshu Sangharakshit Thero
“Pariyatti Saddhamma Kovid”

This is the rain

monsoon season.
Therefore, all Buddhist
monks stay vassa.
‘Vassa’, the word
interrelated with
Buddha’s followers.
Vassa means rain. It
was the Pali language;
we can say it as
Buddha–language.
Specially, in rainy
period, monks stayed in
one place or one Bihar
with promise devoid of
going in all directions for the sake of people’s wellbeing. Vassa begins on the
first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month (usually in July or the
full moon day of Aashadh) and ends on the full moon of the eleventh month
(usually October or full moon day of Aashwin). Its conclusion is two of the
major festivals of the year among Theravada Buddhists, particularly in
Myanmar, Kampuchea, Thailand, and Laos.
The tradition of vassa was conventional by Lord Buddha himself. This
tradition was strictly followed in Buddhist countries like Thailand, Myanmar. In
addition, it was followed in Buddhist country Shrilanka, Buddha’s birthplace
Nepal and all Buddha’s disciples Bhikshu-Sangha (harmony of monks)
continually until now.
Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is
expressed by counting the number of vassas, he has observed.
To hang about vassa-rule was made by Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha not
only made it for others but stayed himself too. Additionally, this tradition was
inspired from Jain religion, said by the venerable Bhikshu Aswaghosh
Mahathera “Aggamahasaddhamma Jotikadhaja”. He further said, the rule of
vassafor Buddhist monks was not the real Buddhist culture, but entry from
Jainism.
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 At the period of
Lord Buddha, the
followers of Jainism
stayed one place in
three-month rainy
season without
disappearing
anywhere. The main
theory of Jainism,
“Ahinsha Paramo
Dhamma” (Pali
language) or strictly
not killing anyone is
the foremost great
dhamma. During rainy
period, the entire road
will full of dirty, grubby
and muddy. So that,
there will be numerous small living thing out of the earth. It may cause for
killing them if they walked on such kind of the way. This is the main cause that
they never went out of their place in rainy period.
Lord Buddha sermon the first, called Dharmacakra–Prawartana, in
Wrishipatan Mrigadawan Sharanath, in India to five Brahman deciple,
Panchavadrawargiy. After that, when there were 60 monks who were all enlightened
from all kind of grief and sorrowfulness. After that, Buddha ordered those monks as
“CHARATHA VIKKHAWE CHARIKAN BAHUJAN HITAY BAHUJAN SHUKHAY”
or, oh monks, all you go for sermon the dhamma for in high spirits and merit of more
peoples. Do not go in same way more than one, etc.
The main order of Buddha, all monks went to say dhamma. They dint
stay in same place any long moment in time. For that misson, they started to
visit so many villages, cities and countries. They were asleep where the hours
of darkness will come. They dint think as a problem even that place was
home, Bihar, forest or under a tree. They visited merely for people’s benifit.
At that rainy period, all most all people will be busy to their own
agricultural. This is the foremost time for cultived farm for farmer. Approximating
this period too, monks were busy to visit various places and villages. This is
why; so many monks may be sick and unwell because of rainwater. Additionally,
it was so complicated to visit by village way. Some time and somewhere,
there will lack of way, too. At that time, monks went from refined farm. Therefore,
that agricultural spot will destroy effortlessly.
It was harmful of monks visiting for farmers, oneside. In otherside, it
was so difficult to journey for monks. Moreover, all most all people were busy
in their farming works. That is why, they cannot come to pay attention the
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monk’s sermon and
did not offer food or
Vojan for monks.
There were so many
troubles like that which
made monks and
Buddha-dhamma, not
free from people’s
negative thinking.
To know all
cause of these,
Buddha made rule to
stay vassathree month
in one place without
visiting villages and
different places. To
make rule about this vassa, Buddha noticed so many positive results by his
fantastic wisdom. Those monks, who were visiting the entire time in differents
places, followed the rule of vassa, and then they can gain like this:
1. The junior monks got chances to gain knowledge of so many new
things and suspicious subject by senior monks, teachers and so on.
2. Monks can communicate about dhamma eachother. This is because,
and then can gain higher knowledge.
3. The can practice Buddhas teaching in their individual daily life in
these three rainy vassamonth.
4. They can meditate to be liberating from grief, regret, sorrowfulness
and for perfect Enlightenment.
5. Those monks, who were not enlightenment, they got opportunity to
carry out Buddhism and got supreme dhamma as SHROTAPATTI,
SAKRIDAGAMI, ANAGAMI, and ARHAT.
6. To stay three months in same place in rainy season, they may know
eachother very well. As result, they can enlarge well their Maitrior friendship
eachother.
7. To close with community of Bhikshu–Sangha (monks union), they
can raise so many importance things, knowledge about Buddhism.
8. Monks may be completely uncontroller by means of freely visiting all
time in different places. But, this possible predicament, off course, was blocked
by the rule of vassa
So that, from the Lord Buddhas period (6th century B.C.) to 21th century,
the tradition of vassacoutinued until now. In the Buddhism, Buddhist monks
were pending continued, that civilization was vassa. About this busy period,
transform of times as well, vassawas the one of the great tradition of Buddhism,
off course.
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 In the time of
vassa, monks promice
to stay one place within
three months.
However, there was no
bound to stay vassa. It
means, any monks can
live anywhere to
comfort for individual
spiritual practice and
be taught, be trained,
no matter even that
place may in Bihar,
house, forest and in
village or city. For that
vassa, monk can stay
only one or with group,
too, no problem.
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 acts improperly. The lively kathina
(“cloth”) ceremony, in which groups of laymen present gifts to the monks,
takes place during the first month following the conclusion of vassa.
Buddha always said that rule and regulation is made for men, not men
for rule and regulation. So that, Buddha made the rule of vassabut he had
changed it for the wellbeing of monks. At last, by means of the situation,
Buddha made rule of vassathat if the monk had important occupation and he
had to go far away, then he can stay six day at that place, out of vassa–place.
If he came to sleep in seventh of day in vassa-place, it was not against of
vassa-rule.
The end of vassa is marked by joyous celebration. The following month
is a major occasion for presenting gifts to monks and acquiring the consequent
merit, called kathina. The kathina, or robe-offering ceremony, is a public affair
during this period and typically involves a collective effort by a village, a group
of villages, or a company to donate gifts on an entire monastery.
In Thailand, where all Buddhist males normally spend some time in a
monastery, vassa is a favoured period for temporarily experiencing the life of
a monk and then to return to lay life. Also, in that same country, they dint
provide visa for foreigner monks to entry or for lacal monks to go out of country
because of respected monks rule of vassa.
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