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Showing posts with label kathina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kathina. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
What happened at Nightmare B4 Xmas?
Monday, October 27, 2025
Halloween is here (Last Week Tonight)
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| There were more giants back then (B. Foerster). |
We're sicker and poorer with Medicare Advantage (fake Medicare)
Medicare Advantage: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
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| Medicare Advantage in the afterlife: death. |
Elvira: How burned girl became sexy Mistress of the Dark
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Saturday, October 25, 2025
'Buddhist Lent' ends w/ Kathina (10/25-26)
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| FREE. All welcome. (N. Hollywood) |
The most meritorious giving for lay Buddhists
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| Buddhism and dana made it to ancient Greece in Gandhara, Bactria, and other outposts. |
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Kathina is a Theravada Buddhist festival that comes at the end of the Rains Retreat or "Buddhist Lent" (Vas or Vassa), the three-month rainy season intensive practice period for Theravada Buddhists in South and Southeast Asia:
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
- Thailand (Siam)
- India
- Bangladesh (where it is known as Kaṭhina Cībar Dān)
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Vietnam
- Malaysia
- Singapore [2][3].
It is a time of practicing letting go, generosity, giving, sharing (dana, donating), a time for lay Buddhists to express gratitude and support to Buddhist monastics (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis) [4][5].
Lay practitioners bring donations (requisites such as robes, food, medicines, necessities) to Buddhist monasteries, nunneries, and temples, especially premade new robes or cotton cloth and dyes for monastics to sew new patchwork robes.
The gift of the Eight Requisites [6] (aṭṭha parikkhārā or atapirikara in Sri Lanka) is also part of the offerings [2][4][5].
Origins at the time of the Buddha
Kaṭhina (also Kaṭina) is a Pali word referring to the sturdy wooden frame used to measure the length and width by which Buddhist monastic robes are cut [7].
As the legend goes, 30 monks were journeying with the intention of spending the Rains (Vassa) with the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) [2]. However, the Rains began before they reached their destination and they had to stop at Saketa [2][8].
According to the Buddha's guidelines for Vassa, mendicant (wandering ascetic) monastics should not travel during the rainy season, as this may cause unintentionally harm to crops and insects during the journey [9]. This is an ancient custom that preceded the Buddha but to which the Buddha agreed.
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| Rains Retreat schedule 2025 (LABV) |
A lay Buddhist disciple had previously donated pieces of cotton cloth to the Buddha, so he gave these pieces to the group of monks and told them to make it into a sturdy outer robe then offer it as a gift to the one of them who had practiced most in line with the monastic rules.
The frame, called the Kathina, was used to hold those pieces while they were being made into one robe [2][8]. This ancient tradition continues to this day in Theravada monasteries and nunneries around the world. More
- Kathina Ceremony Oct. 18-19, 2025
- All-night paritta chanting on 18th
- Food, festivities, and procession on 19th
- Mindfulness Meditation Center
- (626) 731-8105
- Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara (LABV)
- 1023 N. Glendora Ave., Covina, CA 91724
- The Kathina Ceremony 2010: Scoop (DMC TV, Thailand)
- Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Bangkok, Thailand
- Lễ đón nhận y Kathina do Nhà vua Thái Lan dâng cúng| Giác Ngộ Online (Vietnam)
- Buddhism Reflections; DIMC; Buddhist Global Stories; Sravasti Abbey; Bhante, Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
Monday, October 28, 2024
Buddhist Lent: Kathina ceremony (10/27)
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| Golden Buddha from ancient Gandhara, modern Afghanistan (from Saving Mes Aynak) |
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| Golden Buddha polished to brilliance in Burma |
The Buddhist holiday season has just begun in the Theravada Buddhist world, as the Lent period comes to a close with a culminating ceremony called the Kathina ("Unshakeable") robe offering. It is a kind of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) after the fast rather than before it.
It is said that this is the most meritorious ceremony lay people participate in, generating a great deal of beneficial karma (punya, kusala kamma).
What happened?
The Buddhist temple (Mindfulness Meditation Center) was never more crowded. Both lots were full with cars overflowing onto the neighboring suburban streets.
Nearly everyone was dressed in white just like at the time of the Buddha. There were giant tents and chairs set up near the bodhi tree (a descendant of the original tree wandering ascetic Siddhartha sat under to become the Buddha, the "Awakened One"). Snack boxes were being given out, and monks were gathering in the hall.
Two Vietnamese Theravada nuns were filming the abbot, who is said to be over 100 years old. Abbot Ahangama Dhammarama may not be a centenarian yet, but he does hold the record for the longest person (more years in robes) than anyone in America. Although he may have committed defeat offenses as some say, he is still credited with the longest ordination period or years of seniority (more than 80).
The nuns gathered around him to take selfies as the monks assembled in the pews before lining up to go outside and take their seats at long tables under a giant tent. They chanted (having chanted until midnight the night before) blessings (parittas). Then the parade (perihera) began on the boulevard in front of the temple complex. We lined up to give offerings (dana) to the monastic who walked by with bowls and robes and large gift bags.
The monastics were then served delicious foods, both hard and soft, and devotees offered them their fill so they could return to their meditation. But this day marks the end of the intensive retreat period ("Lent"), so it was on to the awarding of the ceremonial "durable robe" for the temple's monastic resident who had best adhered to the Discipline in the preceding three months of the Rains.
Marvels of monumental Chinese Buddha statue
- Mindfulness Meditation Center - Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara | Covina, San Gabriel Valley, LA, California
- All night chanting begins Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at 4:30 pm with dinner served at 7:00 pm
- Full day ceremony: Ancient Buddhist Ceremony: Kathina Robe Offering, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, 9:00 AM | Meetup
- 1023 N. Glendora Ave., Covina, California
- San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County
- Note that each temple celebrates on its own schedule throughout the month. It is not a single day event but will go on at different viharas usually on weekends. The celebration day is usually preceded by all night paritta and sutta chanting in Pali (Magadhi), one of the languages the Buddha spoke. It is customary but not mandatory to wear all white.
Knowing Our Festivals 005: KATHINA
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| International Buddhist flag with Dharma wheel |
Let’s watch this episode from the KNOWING OUR FESTIVALS series to understand more about the festival.
This looks at Malaysia, but this holiday festival is celebrated around the world in every country with a Theravada Buddhist population (Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, India, Malaysia, Singapore, America, Germany, England, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam...)
Penang Harmony Corporation (HARMONICO) would like to thank the Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Centre, Nandaka Vihara, Bukit Mertajam, and Dr. Li Feng for contributing to the production of this video, Oct. 30, 2021.
- Bhante Dhammarama Maha Thero, Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara (MindfulnessMeditationCenter.com); Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen Bradshaw (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
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Saturday, November 2, 2019
Kathina Ceremony, L.A. (Nov. 2-3)
Lankarama Buddhist Institute (dhammausa.com); Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly
Dear Dharma Friends and Family,
You are cordially invited to make merit by participating in the Kaṭhiṇa Ceremony on Nov. 2 (Saturday) and Nov. 3 (Sunday), 2019.
Join us in this special Buddhist Festival, which comes at the end of Vassa, the three-month Rains Retreat for Theravāda Buddhists.
- Annual Kaṭhiṇa Robe Offering Ceremony 2019
- Maha Saṅgha Dāna
- Lankarama Buddhist Institute
- 398 Giano Ave., La Puente, CA 91744
- Phone: (626) 913-0775
Saturday Schedule
7:30 PM - Aṭavisi Buddha Vandanā ("Honoring the 28 previous Buddhas")
Conducted by Ven. Dr. K. Gunaratana Thera
Conducted by Ven. Dr. K. Gunaratana Thera
Abbot of Mahā Karuṇā Buddhist Center,
Head of the Religious Affairs of
Lankarama Buddhist Temple, Singapore
Sunday Schedule
6:30 AM - Offering of Kaṭhiṇa Cloth to the Mahā Saṅgha
7:30 AM - Buddha Vandanā
7:45 AM - Breakfast dāna to the Mahā Saṅgha
10:00 AM - Kaṭhiṇa Perahera (Kathina robe parade)
11:15 AM - Buddha Vandanā
11:30 AM - Offering of Kaṭhiṇa robe and
Lunch offering (dāna) to the Mahā Saṅgha
12:30 PM - Kaṭhiṇānisaṃsa ("Benefits of Kaṭhiṇa") and
Transferring merits by Ven. Dr. K. Gunaratana Thera
1:00 PM - Free lunch for all in attendance
What is Kathina?
The period during which a Buddhist monastery or center may hold Kathina is one month long, beginning after the full moon of the 11th month in the Lunar calendar (usually October).
It is a time of giving, for lay Buddhists to express gratitude to bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (Buddhist monastics). Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks and nuns. Moreover, the gift of the attha parikara (in Sri Lanka known as atapirikara අටපිරිකර ) -- the "eight monastic requisites" -- is an important part of the offerings. More
- Click flower decorations to see the ongoing preparations
- Learn more about Kathina Robe Offering and Rains Retreat
- Kaṭhiṇa Robe Offering - History and Development
- The Significance of the Kathina Robe Offering Ceremony
- Kathina
- Kathina: Then and Now
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Saturday, November 3, 2018
Kathina: End of "Buddhist Lent" (Nov. 3-4)
Bhante, Ashley Wells, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit; Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara
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| I love my monastic robes, samanera at Shwedagon Pagoda, Buddhist Burma |
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| Los Angeles Kathina Ceremony, 920 N. Summit Ave., Pasadena CA 91103 (LABV) |
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| Theravada monk in Sri Lanka (pinterest.com) |
The time during which a monastery may hold Kathina is one month long, beginning after the full moon of the 11th month in the Lunar calendar (usually October).
It is a time of giving, for lay Buddhists to express gratitude to monastics. They bring donations to temples, particularly new monastic robes for nuns and monks. In Sri Lanka Buddhists offer the "eightfold requisites" (atapirikara, අටපිරිකර).
Origins
Origins
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| Robert, we should follow? - Yes, your holiness |
As the legend goes 30 Buddhist monastics (at that time "wandering ascetics" or shramans) were journeying with the intention of spending the Rains Retreat with the Buddha.
However, the rains began before they reached their destination, so they had to stop at Saketa. According to the Buddha's guidelines for the Rains, mendicant wandering ascetics should refrain from traveling during the rainy season as they might unintentionally harm crops and the prolific insect life during their journeys. As such, they had to stop.
The monastics passed their time together without conflict, practicing Dharma. Therefore, afterwards, the Buddha rewarded them by demonstrating a way to practice sharing and generosity (dana).
A lay disciple had previously donated pieces of cloth to the Buddha, so he gave the pieces to the group of monastics and told them to cut and sew it into a robe and then offer it as a gift to one of them who had practiced most assiduously... More
Rains Retreat in Los Angeles
We [Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara] are delighted to inform everyone that the Rains Retreat Dharma Program offered by LABV was a great success. It was a great opportunity for a lot of people to learn and practice the supreme teachings of the Buddha. All the Dharma talks delivered in Sinhalese and English have been uploaded into the temple's YouTube channel. The Dharma talks were conducted on various interesting Dharma topics
by erudite and virtuous monks.
We would like to extend our sincere and respectful thanks to all the venerable monks who generously shared their Dharma knowledge by conducting these talks. At the same time, we sincerely appreciate all the devotees who sponsored the talks by proving facilities for the monks and all of the participants.
We would like to extend our sincere and respectful thanks to all the venerable monks who generously shared their Dharma knowledge by conducting these talks. At the same time, we sincerely appreciate all the devotees who sponsored the talks by proving facilities for the monks and all of the participants.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who attended these spiritual programs and those who helped us to make this Dharma program a success. With metta, LABV
Links to listen to Dhamma Talks
Links to listen to Dhamma Talks
- අසිරිමත් සත්සති බුද්ධ වන්දනාව සහ බුද්ධානුස්සතිය
- Aththaparahitha Patipanna Sutta
- කසීභාරද්වාජ සූත්රය
- යමක සූත්රය
- The Mind - මනස පිළිබද බෞද්ධ විග්රහයක්
- How to live compassionately by forgiving oneself & others
- Value of Precepts in our practice
- Madhupindika Sutta
- විතක්කසණ්ඨාන සූත්රය
- Dasadhamma Sutta
- If there is no “I” who attains enlightenment?
- The Craving (Thanha)
- Buddhist Concept of Happiness
- The Philosophy of Arahanta as depicted in Majjima Nikaya
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Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Go to the Moon, Kathina, potluck (Oct. 25)
Ananda M. (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Dhr. Seven, Ellie, Jen (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
We'll visit the moon, Luna (called Soma and Chandra in Buddhist-Hindu-Jain India), by remote viewing in deep
meditation.
In addition, we welcome back former American Buddhist nun Ellie from
an east coast trip and our newly minted American Buddhist nun Alicia on the occasion
of the sacred Kathina Ceremony, the most significant lay Buddhist holiday for making good karma.
We celebrate with a vegan POTLUCK as we enjoy vegan snacks, chocolate, chips and salsa, kombucha and drinks on ice...
- Dharma Meditation Initiative, Los Angeles
- The Neighborhood Church
- 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Room 23
- 2 blocks north of Colorado Bl., near Norton Simon
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| Dharma Meditation Initiative, Neighborhood Church (meetup.com/zen-07). MARC.UCLA |
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| Kathina celebrated in Pasadena on Sat. & Sun., Nov. 3-4, 2018 (LA Buddhist Vihara) |
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Kathina: the end of Buddhist "Lent"
A.G.S. Kariyawasam, Buddhist Ceremonies and Rituals of Sri Lanka edited by Dhr. Seven, Bhante, Amber Larson, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly
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| Buddhist novices in front of the Buddha, Phrabuddhachay, Saraburi, Thailand (Bugphai/flickr) |
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The Rains and the Robe (Vassa and Kathina)
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| What if there were a Buddhist Peace Corps? |
Since Buddhism was
introduced to ancient Sri Lanka from India by the enlightened brother and sister missionary team of Ven. Mahinda Thera and Ven. Sanghamitta Theri (Buddhist children of the Indian Emperor Asoka), the observance of a "Rains Retreat" period has been observed.
Vassa in Pali, or Vas in Sinhalese, has been a mainstay of monastic life on the Theravada Buddhist island tradition similar to 40-day Lent observed by Western Christianity.
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| Catholic Lent in Granada, Nicaragua (Chopanito) |
The three-month "Rains Retreat" is a period of intensive practice, a kind of Buddhist "Lent." It was instituted by the
Buddha (see below) for all monastics. Details of its practice are laid down in the Mahavagga of the Code of Discipline (Chp.3-4).
During this Rains Retreat monastics stop their wandering, suspend all traveling, and dwell in one monastery or monastic complex (vihara, aranya). If unavoidable circumstances necessitate
traveling, they are allowed to leave their rains residences on the promise
that they will return within a week.
On the
first day of the retreat the monastics have to formally declare that they
will dwell in that manner in the selected monastery or dwelling.
(Indiana Buddhist Temple) Kathina Chivera ceremony celebrated in Sri Lankan tradition
- When is Rains Retreat? Vassa extends over a period corresponding to the north Indian rainy season. It runs from the day following the July full moon until the October full moon day. [Months shift based on the traditional lunar-solar Indian calendar.] Those who cannot enter at this time are permitted to observe it for three months beginning with the day following the August full moon.
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| Buddhist monastic in Songkla, Thailand (bird_beckman77 Homam Alojail/flickr.com) |
The Rains Retreat (a kind of Buddhist "Lent") is also a time for the lay Buddhists to express
their devotion to the cause of Buddhism by supporting the Sangha (monastic community of monks, nuns, novices, and ten precept holder) with
special diligence, which task they regard as a potent source of merit.
It is customary for prominent persons to invite monastics to spend the Rains Retreat with them in dwellings specially prepared for the purpose. In this case the host would go and invite the monastic or monastics formally. If
they accept the invitation, the hosts prepare a special
temporary dwelling in a suitable place with a refectory and a shrine
room.
Kathina, Los Angeles
(Los Angeles' Dharma Vijaya Temple) Kathina Ceremony 2011 filmed by Lakpathy Wijesekara
On the first day of the rains they go in a procession (perahera) with drummers and
dancers to the monastery where the invitees reside and conduct them in procession. The hosts assume responsibility for
providing all of their needs during this period. And
they attend to this very willingly because they regard it as highly
meritorious. If no special construction is put up, lay supporters invite monastics to observe the retreat in the temple itself.
At the close of the rainy season, monastics have to perform the pavarana
ceremony. At this ceremony, held in place of the Monastics Rules (patimokkha, "path-to-moksha") Recitation,
each monastic invites fellow monastics to point out any faults committed during the Rains Retreat period.
The Sturdy Robe Offering
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| Theravada Buddhist monks in Thailand (T.O.Johnson/T.O.OtisPhoto/flickr.com) |
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| With practice we can be monks (AB). |
On any day following the day of pavarana in the period terminating with the next full moon day, the great Sturdy Robe Offering (Kathina) ceremony is held.
Different monasteries hold the kathina on different days within this month, and any given monastery will hold only one kathina ceremony. The main event in this ceremony is the offering of the special durable robe known as the kathina-civara
to the monastic community, which in turn presents it to one monastic who has diligently observed the
retreat.
Lay Buddhists traditionally offer unsewn cloth to the monastics for the construction and dying of this special robe. Before
the offering takes place, the newly sewn robe is taken with drumming and much fanfare around the village (or area around the temple) in the early morning.
Once the
robe-cloth is given to the monastic community, certain monastics are selected to do the
cutting, sewing, and dying of the robe -- all in a single day. Public
contributions are often solicited to buy the cloth if it is not a
personal offering.
The ceremony, which is performed with keen interest and devotion because of the special merit involved,
has today become an important occasion of great social and religious
significance for Buddhist laypeople. This seems to have been the case even in
historical times when many Sri Lankan/Sinhalese kings made this offering with much
interest and devotion (e.g., Mhv. xliv,48, xci, etc). More
Why the Buddha established Kathina 
| Southeast Asian novices under bell (flickr.com) |
The legend goes that 30 wandering ascetics were journeying with the intention of spending the Rains Retreat with the historical Buddha (BBC).
However, an Indian observance of the rainy season by wanderers and Brahmin priest began before they reached their destination and they had to stop.
Before the 30 arrived, the rainy season began. According to the Buddha's guidelines for observing the Rains Retreat, mendicant Buddhist ascetics should not
travel during the rainy season. This is because they may unintentionally harm crops
and insects flourishing in the spring rain during their journey. See Lay Buddhist Practice by Ven. Khantipalo (Laurence Mills. As such, the 30 had to stop.
Afterwards, the Buddha rewarded them by demonstrating a way to
practice sharing and generosity. A lay disciple had previously donated
cloth to the Buddha, so the Buddha gave that cloth to the group of Buddhist monastics and told them to dye it with saffron and sew it into a patchwork robe and then offer it as a gift
to one of them.
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