Khao Pansa

The beginning of Buddhist Lent is a period of three months in the rainy season when monks and nuns are allowed to take their retreat. The tradition was formed in response to criticism by followers of the Jain religion, who believed that religious mendicants must avoid travelling during the rainy season so as not to tread upon small seedlings growing in the ground. In Jainism, physical actions are the main sources of karma, and non-violence is an essential component of a devout life; trampling the sprouting seedlings was considered an act of violence causing a painful end of life.
In early Buddhism, the rain retreat tradition consolidated the Buddhist community. Monks and nuns who lived the homeless life were able to strengthen their relationships to one another. It also provided a forum for exchanging spiritual experiences. Senior monks and nuns were seen as fathers and mothers to their students, thus fostering the Sangha as a family in which members act as brothers and sisters. Each member of the Sangha is responsible for the physical and spiritual growth of the others. Community care was the heart and soul of the Sangha.
There is no better way to celebrate the Asalaha Puja rain retreat than to bring back the spirit of caring to promote peace and harmony.

Asalaha Puja

Asalaha Puja Day, according to the traditions of Theravada Buddhism, is the anniversary of the Lord Buddha's first sermon, know as the Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma. He delivered this sermon to the five ascetics who were his attendants during his quest for enlightenment.
In this sermon, the Lord Buddha expounded on the primary founding principle of Buddhist practice and the hallmarks of what he had discovered- the Four Noble Truths, and the principle of practice that leads to it, known as the Middle Way.
As a result, the leader of the five ascetics, Kondanya, was enlightened, and declared himself a disciple of the Buddha.The others were converted to the Buddhist faith and subsequently enlightened and ordained in the same manner.
According to this legend, the first sermon is recognised as the point at which the three components of the Triple Gem, comprising the ultimate entity of worship for Buddhists- the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha- were complete.