Celebration of Kathina in Sumedharama

Sunday 16 October 2022

Everyone is welcome to participate in this occasion, celebrating the presence of the monastic community in Sumedharama:

Programme:

9.30 a.m. – Arrival at the Monastery (bring a meal to share)

10 a.m. – Request for the five precepts, followed by songs

10.30 a.m. – Rice supply (Pindapat)

11 a.m. – Dinner for monks and lunch for the lay community

12.30 p.m. – The community offers the traditional monastic habit

1 p.m. – Lecture by Ajahn Vajiro

From 14:00 – Informal conversation with the monks.

In the rainy season (Vassa), in Asia, (the period corresponding to summer in Europe) the monks undertake to stay in a certain place for three months.

The story goes that at the end of this period, the Buddha allowed the monks to look for fabric with which they could patch up their old habit or even make a new one. The fabrics that the monks collected consisted of rags that had been thrown away. Over time people, realising this need, began to hang fabric from the trees so that the monks could ‘find’ them. The custom then developed so that not only pieces of cloth were left on the trees, but also the habits already made. People saw here an opportunity to make offerings of other requirements to monks, as a gesture of support and appreciation of their practice. The ceremony was called Kathina, which is the name of the loom that monks use to sew their habits with the fabrics offered.

In this same ceremony the monks offer lectures on the Dhamma, and there is also a period where people have the opportunity to meet and talk to the monks more informally. In this event it becomes quite evident the interconnection of the lay community with the monastic community and how both benefit from this dynamic.

Directed by Ajahn Dhammiko

This retreat will take place in the house of St. Ignatius Retreats, in Sintra, Portugal.

It is organised by Helena Gallis.

Registration is now open.

You can click here to access the registration form

O Asalha Puja It celebrates the first structured speech the Buddha delivered after his enlightenment and is celebrated on the full moon of July (the full moon of the eighth lunar month of the Indian calendar). This discourse is called ‘Dhammacakkappavattana sutta’ and it was with it that ‘the wheel of the Dhamma was set in motion’ (here Dhamma means teaching). It contains the essence of the Buddha’s subsequent teaching, addressing the ‘Four Noble Truths’.

It was at the end of this discourse, after Venerable Kondanno had fully understood it, that the Buddhist monastic order began.

This day is also known as Dhamma Day and is an opportunity to deepen the Buddha's teachings. It also marks the beginning of vassal.

Thus, after the usual 7:30 p.m. meditation, there will be a Dhamma lecture by Ajahn Vajiro. After the lecture, everyone is also invited to join the Sangha and practice meditation until midnight.