Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa

These questions answered to Kate Van Atta from Phoenix University on August 27, 2010

Sam  Wongklom

Buddhist Scholar

Wat Yarnna Rangsee Buddhist Monastery

1. What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?

1. Magha Puja Day.  Māgha Pūjā day marks the four auspicious occasions, which happened nine months after the Enlightenment of the Buddha at Veḷuvana Bamboo Grove, near Rājagaha in Northern India. On that occasion, as recorded in the commentary to the Mahāsamayasutta, DN-Comm 20) four marvellous events occurred:

1. There were 1,250 Sangha followers, that came to see the Buddha that evening without any schedule.
2. All of them were Arhantas, the Enlightened One, and all of them were ordained by the Buddha himself.
3. The Buddha gave those Arhantas principles of the Buddhism, called "The ovadhapatimokha". Those principles are: - To cease from all evil,- To do what is good,- To cleanse one's mind;
4. it was the full-moon day.

2. Visakha Puja Day. Vesākha (Pali; Sanskrit: Vaiśākha वैशाख) is an annual holiday observed traditionally by Buddhists in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia.^[1] Sometimes informally called "Buddha's Birthday", it actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment (nirvāɳa), and passing away (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha.^[2]

The exact date of Vesākha varies according to the various lunar calendars used in different traditions. In Theravada countries following the Buddhist calendar, it falls on the full moon Uposatha day (typically the 5th or 6th lunar month). Vesākha Day in China is on the eighth of the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. The date varies from year to year in the Western Gregorian calendar, but falls in April or May.

3. Asalha Puja Day.      Asalha Puja (known as Asanha Puja or Asarnha Bucha in Thailand, Thai: อาสาฬหบูชา aa-saal-ha-boo-chaa) is a Theravada Buddhist festival which typically takes place in July, on the full moon of the eighth lunar month. It commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon in the Deer Park in Benares and the founding of the Buddhist sangha. In Thailand, Asalha Puja is a government holiday.

4. Buddhist Lent (Vassa) .  Vassa (from Pāli vasso, Sanskrit varṣaḥ, both "rain" - Burmese: ဝါဆို waso, Khmer: វស្សា or ព្រះវស្សា; Lao:, sometimes wāt săː; Thai: พรรษา, pansa or phansaa; ), also called Rains Retreat, is the traditional retreat during the rainy season lasting for three lunar months from July to October. During this time Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation. During Vassa, some Buddhist lay people^{[citation needed]} reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking (Vassa is sometimes known as "Buddhist Lent", though at least one prominent Theravada monk has objected to this usage- see [1]). And in countries such as Thailand, the laity will often take monastic vows for period of Vassa and return to lay life afterwards. Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting the number of Vassas he has observed.

The Vassa retreat has largely been given up by Mahayana Buddhists; however for Mahayana schools such as Zen and Tibetan Buddhism other forms of retreat are common.

The observation of Vassa is said to originate with the Buddha himself. Gautama Buddha ordered his disciples to observe a pre-existing practice whereby holy men avoided travel for a three month period during the rainy season, in order to avoid damaging crops and accidentally stepping on insects obscured by heavy flooding.

Vassa begins on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month; the preceding day is Asalha Puja. The focus of celebration by the laity is the first day of Vassa (or Wan Kao Pansa - Lao:) during which worshippers donate candles and other necessities to temples, in a ceremony which has reached its most extravagant form in the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival.

Vassa is followed by two of the major festivals of the year among Theravada Buddhists, Wan Awk Pansa and Kathina.

The end of vassa is marked by joyous celebration. The following month, the Kathina ceremony is held, during which the laity gathers to make formal offerings of robe cloth and other requisites to the Sangha.

5. Kathina .  Kathina is a Buddhist festival which comes at the end of Vassa, the three-month rainy season retreat for Theravada Buddhists. The season during which a monastery may hold a 'Kathina' festival is one month long, beginning after the full moon of the eleventh month in the Lunar calendar (usually October). In order to hold a 'Kathina', a monastery must have had five monks in residence during the retreat period and only those who were present for the entire retreat are eligible to receive the robe cloth offered.

It is a time of giving, for the laity to express gratitude to monks. Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks.

The above information are from Wikipedia.

2. How has religion shaped your life? 

The Buddhist Religion has shaped my life in a good way.  I mean the way that I have disciplines

3. What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?

I’m sure if you accept this religion to the way of life, you life will never fall down.

4. Are you a convert to this religion or were you born into a family of Buddhists?

I’m born in Buddhism.  Most of people is just like that.

5.How do you worship?

Well, we worship the Buddha by paying homage to his statue.  But actually by doing good conducts is considered the great worshiping to him.

6. What holidays or religious events do you celebrate?

The answer is like question No.1.

7.Do you have religious symbols? If yes, what are they?

The most common symbols of Buddhism are the stupa, Dharma wheel, and the lotus flower.

8. Are there different types of Buddhism?

Yes. There are 2 main types of Buddhism.  They are Mahayana an Thereavada.

9. Where does your family originate from?

My family originated from the great great great great great great Thai Buddhists.

10. Where is your place of worship?

All the temples are the place of worship.

11. Which of the Four Noble Truths impacts you the most? Why? What about in the Noble Eightfold Path? Why?

I may say the 1^st one but actually all of them do.  We are in the world of living.  We have to encounter them anyway. 

The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to Enlightenment.  Even in our daily lives,  we can adopt to our way of lives too. It’s because that’s a way of living.