What Do You Know About Vassāna Retreat?

This write-up was first published by the Alberta Buddhist Vihara Association in 2017.

Vassa is the Pali word for rain. Particularly in India, Vassa also means the rainy season, which runs from the first day of the waning moon in July to the full moon in October. In conjunction with that, vassa is also a ceremony in Buddhist practice that traces its origins back before Śākyamuni Buddha’s time. The rainy season is a period of particular vulnerability for animals, so ascetics and wanderers in India avoided travel during this period. Buddha also considered the potential harm to creatures and asked Buddhist monks to refrain from travel during vassa.

Living in a monastery for three months gave monks an opportunity to build relationships with nearby laypeople. Buddha asked the monks to specifically cater to the dhamma needs of local devotees, and in Theravada countries, this became a special period in which monks increase their activity. After an initial ceremony inviting the monks to vassa, they teach dhamma, chant special sūtras such as satipaṭṭhāna and bojjhaṅga, work to improve their meditation practice, accept offerings from devotees, and more.

Vassa practice ends with the kathina ceremony, in which the monks who observed vassa are formally offered a special robe. Buddha approved of this because monks would often get soaked when they started their travels again after vassa. The ceremonies and the monks staying in one place for three months was very influential and helpful for lay devotees who sought to improve their spiritual practice and fine-tune their connection with the monks.

May you be well and happy!
Bhante. Dr. Gangodawila Chandima