Assayuja Full Moon Day Dhamma Discussion

Assayuja Full Moon Day Dhamma Discussion

Friday October 2nd, 2020

Please join Dhamma USA on Friday October 2^nd, 2020 (PST) to observe Assayuja Puṇṇamī. This program will be held online via Zoom and will be conducted in English.

Please refer to the time zone below.

Importance of Assayuja Puṇṇamī:

Assayuja Puṇṇamī marks the day when the three month rainy "Vassana" season comes to an end and when the Katina season begins. On this full moon day, lay devotes offer new robes (Katina Cheevara) to the monks who have been observing the rainy retreat. During this period of retreat, the monks stay indoors developing their spiritual practice and conducting sermons to lay followers.

October is called the Cheevara Massaya, the “Month of Robes.” Katina means “unbreakable” and refers to the strong merit devotees gain by offering a robe to the Maha Sangha. Cheevara means “robe.”

Image from dailymirror.lk

Assayuja Puṇṇamī also commemorates the day when the Buddha ended his 7^th Vas rainy retreat after his enlightenment. The Buddha spent 3 months preaching the Abhidhamma to his mother, Mahamaya Devi, and an assembly of deities in the celestial realm of Tavatimsa. At the end of the retreat, the Buddha descended to the gates of Sankassa and preached the Dhamma to the lay devotees who witnessed his descent. The Buddha also declared Arahat Sariputta as the most intelligent disciple after successfully answering the Buddha’s challenging questions.

Image from lakpura.com

Time Zone Table:

Time zone	Day	Time
Pacific Standard Time	Friday	5:00-6:00 PM
Central Time	Friday	7:00-8:00 PM
Indian Standard Time	Saturday	5:30-6:30 AM
Singapore Standard Time	Saturday	8:00-9:00 AM
Indochina Standard Time	Saturday	7:00-8:00 AM