![Vassa in Utt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Vassa_in_Utt.jpg)
The ''Vassa'' ( pi, vassa-, script=Latn, sa, varṣa-, script=Latn, both "rain") is the three-month annual
retreat observed by
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
practitioners. Taking place during the
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
, Vassa lasts for three
lunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month.
Variations
In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Europ ...
s, usually from July (the
Burmese month of Waso, ) to October (the Burmese month of Thadingyut ).
[Vassa](_blank)
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In English, Vassa is often glossed as Rains Retreat or Buddhist Lent, the latter by analogy to the
Christian Lent (which Vassa predates by at least five centuries).
For the duration of Vassa, monastics remain in one place, typically a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
or temple grounds.
[ Lay Buddhist Practice - The Shrine Room, Uposatha Day, Rains Residence](_blank)
/ref> In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...
. 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 and last days of Vassa, known as "Khao Phansa" and "Wan Ok Phansa". While Vassa is sometimes casually called "Buddhist Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
", others object to this terminology. Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting the number of vassas (or ''rains'') since ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...
.
Mahayana
''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...
Buddhists also observe Vassa. Vietnamese Thiền
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Over ...
and Korean Seon
Seon or Sŏn Buddhism (Korean: 선, 禪; IPA: ʌn is the Korean name for Chan Buddhism, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism commonly known in English as Zen Buddhism. Seon is the Sino-Korean pronunciation of Chan () an abbreviation of 禪那 (' ...
monastics observe an equivalent retreat of three months of intensive practice in one location, a practice also observed in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
.
Vassa begins on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month, which is the day after Asalha Puja
Asalha Puja (also known as Asadha Puja or Asanha Bucha in Thailand, th, อาสาฬหบูชา) is a Theravada Buddhist festival which typically takes place in July, on the full moon of the month of Āsādha. It is celebrated in Indones ...
or Asalha Uposatha
The Uposatha ( sa, Upavasatha) is a Buddhist day of observance, in existence from the Buddha's time (600 BCE), and still being kept today by Buddhist practitioners. The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind ...
("Dhamma day"). It ends on Pavarana Pavarana ( sa, Pravāraṇā) is a Buddhist holy day celebrated on Aashvin full moon of the lunar month. It marks the end of the 3 lunar months of Vassa, sometimes called "Buddhist Lent." The day is marked in some Asian countries where Theravada B ...
, when all monastics come before the sangha
Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...
and atone for any offense that might have been committed during Vassa.
Vassa is followed by Kathina
Kathina is a Buddhist festival which comes at the end of Vassa, the three-month rainy season retreat for Theravada Buddhists in Bangladesh (known as Kaṭhina Cībar Dān), Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Thailan ...
, a festival in which the laity
In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother.
In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...
expresses gratitude to monks.[Vassa (Rains Retreat) and Kathina (Robe Offering) Ceremony](_blank)
/ref>[Vassa, The Rains Retreat](_blank)
/ref> Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks.Kathina
at BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
.
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.