Vassa

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

Part of a series on
Theravāda Buddhism
Buddhism
History Pre-sectarian Buddhism Early schools Sthaviras Buddhist councils Vibhajjavāda Mahāvihāra Tambapaṇṇiya Dīpavaṃsa Mahāvaṃsa Pali Text Society
Key figures Bhāṇaka Moggaliputta-Tissa Mahinda Sanghamitta Tissa Buddhaghoṣa Buddhadatta Dhammapāla Parakramabahu I Mahākassapa (12th century) Sāriputta (12th century) Anawrahta Ram Khamhaeng Sumangala Thera Anagarika Dharmapala Mongkut Vajirananavarorasa Ledi Sayadaw U Nu U Nārada Mahasi Sayadaw U Ba Khin S. N. Goenka Mun Bhuridatta Ajahn Chah Maha Ghosananda Kripasaran Mahapragya Pragyananda K. Sri Dhammananda Narada Mahathera Asoka Weeraratna Walpola Rahula Jayatilleke Kalupahana U Dhammaloka Nyanatiloka Nanamoli Nyanaponika Bhikkhu Bodhi Ajahn Sumedho Ajahn Brahm Analayo Varanggana Vanavichayen Dhammananda Bhikkhuni Ayya Tathaaloka Ayya Khema Kee Nanayon Dipa Ma
Literature Pāli Tipiṭaka Paracanonical Commentaries Sub-commentaries Paritta Visuddhimagga Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha Vimuttimagga Abhidhammāvatāra Yogāvacara's manual
Orders (Nikāya) Thailand, Laos, Cambodia Mahā Dhammayuttika Myanmar Thudhamma Shwegyin Mahādvāra Mūladvāra Veḷuvana Anaukchaung-dvāra Hngettwin Gaṇavimutti Dhammayuttika Sri Lanka Amarapura–Rāmañña Siam Bangladesh Saṅgharāja Mahāsthabir
Traditions Pariyatti, paṭipatti, paṭivedha Sādhu Abhidhamma Vassa Pavāraṇā Vipassana movement Kammaṭṭhāna Thai Forest Sri Lankan Forest Esoteric Theravāda Dhammakaya
Festivals Vesākha Pūjā Māgha Pūjā Āsāḷha Pūjā Kaṭhina Abhidhamma Day Uposatha
Higher education MBU MCRU IBC ITBMU SPSU BPU Sihanouk Sihamoni CSC Sangha College Kertarajasa Syailendra Nalanda DDIBU
v t e

Part of a series on
Buddhism
Glossary Index Outline
History Timeline The Buddha Pre-sectarian Buddhism Councils Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Decline in the Indian subcontinent Later Buddhists Buddhist modernism
Dharma Concepts Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Dharma wheel Five Aggregates Impermanence Suffering Not-self Dependent Origination Middle Way Emptiness Morality Karma Rebirth Saṃsāra Cosmology
Buddhist texts Buddhavacana Early Texts Tripiṭaka Mahayana Sutras Pāli Canon Sanskrit literature Tibetan canon Chinese canon Post-canon
Practices Three Jewels Buddhist Paths to liberation Five precepts Perfections Meditation Philosophical reasoning Devotional practices Merit making Recollections Mindfulness Wisdom Sublime abidings Aids to Enlightenment Monasticism Lay life Buddhist chant Pilgrimage Vegetarianism
Nirvāṇa Awakening Four Stages Arhat Pratyekabuddha Bodhisattva Buddha
Traditions Theravāda Pāli Mahāyāna Hinayana Chinese Vajrayāna Tibetan Navayana Newar
Buddhism by country Bhutan Brazil Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Mongolia Myanmar New Zealand Russia Singapore US Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam
Buddhism portal
v t e

Vassa (Pali: vassa-, Sanskrit: varṣa-, both "rain") is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada Buddhists. Taking place during the wet season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from July (the Burmese month of Waso, ဝါဆို) to October (the Burmese month of Thadingyut, သီတင်းကျွတ်).^[1]

In English, Vassa is also called Rains Retreat.^[2] While Vassa is sometimes casually called "Buddhist Lent", others object to this terminology.^[3][4]

For the duration of Vassa, monastics remain in one place, typically a monastery or temple grounds.^[4][5] In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation.^[4] Some Buddhist lay people choose to observe Vassa by adopting more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking.^[1] In Thailand, the sale of alcohol is prohibited on the first (Wan Khao Phansa) and last (Wan Ok Phansa) days of Vassa.^[6] Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting the number of vassas (or rains) since ordination.

Mahayana Buddhists also observe Vassa. Vietnamese Thiền and Korean Seon monastics observe an equivalent retreat of three months of intensive practice in one location, a practice also observed in Tibetan Buddhism.^{[citation needed]}

Vassa begins on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month, which is the day after Asalha Puja or Asalha Uposatha ("Dhamma day"). It ends on Pavarana, when all monastics come before the sangha and atone for any offense that might have been committed during Vassa.

Vassa is followed by Kathina, a festival in which the laity expresses gratitude to monks.^[7][8] Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks.^[7][8][9]

The Vassa tradition predates the time of Gautama Buddha.^[1] It was a long-standing custom for mendicant ascetics in India not to travel during the rainy season as they may unintentionally harm crops, insects or even themselves during their travels.^{[4][non-primary source needed]} Many Buddhist ascetics live in regions which lack a rainy season.^[8] Consequently, there are places where Vassa may not be typically observed.^[8]