Asalha Puja

 ( Buddhist Festivals In Thailand ) 

Āsāḷha Pūjā is a Theravada Buddhist festival which typically takes place in July, on the full moon of the Asadha month. It is celebrated in Indonesia, Cambodia (), Thailand (), Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar (, ) and in other countries with Theravada Buddhist populations. In Indonesia, the festival is centered at Mendut Temple and Borobudur Temple, Central Java.

---

Festival Asalha Puja, also known as Dhamma Day or Dhammacakrā Day, is one of Theravada Buddhism's most important festivals, celebrating as it does the Buddha's first sermon, the Sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath, in which he set out to his five former associates the doctrine that had come to him following his enlightenment. This first pivotal sermon, often referred to as “setting into motion the wheel of dhamma,” is the teaching which is encapsulated for Buddhists in the Four Noble Truths: there is suffering (dukkha); suffering is caused by craving (tanha); there is a state (nibbana) beyond suffering and craving; and finally, the way to nirvana is via the Noble Eightfold Path. All the various schools and traditions of Buddhism revolve around this central doctrine.

This first sermon is not only the first structured discourse given by the Buddha after his enlightenment, it also contains the essence of all his subsequent teaching. At the end of the talk, one of the five participants recounted his understanding of what had been said and asked to be received as a disciple, a request the Buddha granted, thus establishing the first order of monks.

The day is observed by donating offerings to wat and listening to Dharma talk. The following day is known in Thailand as Wan Khao Phansa; it is the first day of Vassa, the Theravada rains retreat.

---

See also

• Kandy Esala Perahera
• Māgha Pūjā
• Pavarana
• Thadingyut Festival
• Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival
• Uposatha
• Visakha Puja
• Wan Ok Phansa

---

External links

• Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta - The Buddha's first discourse
• Wan Asana Bucha and Wan Khao Pansa in Thailand
• Asalha Puja - The Beginning of Buddhism

Post Comment