Vassa
| Vassa | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | វស្សា |
| Also known as | Rains Retreat; Buddhist Lent; Chol Vassa; Chenh Vassa; Chol Vossa; Chegn Vossa |
| Practice type | Religious practice |
| Usual occasion | Three lunar months of the rainy season, usually July to October |
| Subjects | Religion & Spiritual Life |
| Next | October 26, 2026 (Chenh Vassa) |
Vassa (វស្សា, Vossa), the Rains Retreat, is the three-month period of the rainy season when Buddhist monks stay at their own temples for study and practice.[1][2] Its beginning is marked as Chol Vassa (entering Vassa) and its end as Chenh Vassa (leaving Vassa).[2]
The dates
Vassa begins on the first day of the waning moon of the month of Asath, the day after the full moon, and ends at the full moon of the month of Assoch.[1][3] In Gregorian terms it usually runs from July to October, and later in years with a second month of Asath.[1][3] Pchum Ben falls during Vassa, and the robe offerings of Kathina follow it.[1]
Observance
During the retreat monks remain within their temple grounds, do not go out on the morning alms round, and may not spend a night away from their pagoda; they give the time to meditation, study of the scriptures and teaching novices.[2][4] Lay people bring food, robes, oil and candles to the pagoda, and some take on stricter practice for the season, giving up meat or alcohol.[2][1]
At the start of the retreat, lay people offer the tean vossa, a large candle kept burning day and night through the three months as a sign of the light that leads toward nirvana.[2] A monk's seniority is counted in the number of rains retreats since ordination.[1]
See also
References