Invitation Ceremony to Vassana Three Months Rains Retreat Sunday 14th July 2019

This year Vassana (Rainy Retreat) Season will be from 14th July 2019 till 02nd November 2019. You can sponsor a week during the three months in order to gain meritorious blessings. You are co-cordially invited to participate to the opening ceremony and reserve the day in advance for the final celebration.

Traditional Invitation to the

2019 Spiritual Rains Three Months Retreat

Invitation Ceremony to Vassana Sunday 14^th July 2019

 

Dear All,

Greetings with Dhamma Blessings..!

Namo Buddhaya..!

 

You are cordially invited to our Esala Full Moon Day Programme together with Invitation Ceremony to Annual Three Months Rains Retreat, held on Sunday 14^th July 2019 from 4PM till 6.00PM.

It has been a very busy time last few months at the centre with lots of Meditation Programmes and other blessings poojas. Lots of merits to all those who worked very hard to support the centre by monthly standing orders and the other means. 

Buddhist Centre now turning out to be very beautiful. Do come around and see the difference. We share the blessings with all of our members!

Now we are expecting to start the most significant spiritual time! Annual Rains Retreat (Vassana Season..)

Therefore, we write this to invite you to come and join us at the ceremony to commence this year Annual Rains Retreat Three Months on Sunday 14th July 2019. This day we observe the Esala (July) Full Moon Day from 4AM till 6.00PM with Chanting of First Discourse, Dhamma Chakkha Pavaththana Sutta and Blessings.

 

This day we start the programme with chanting the first sermon of the Lord Buddha, Dhamma chakka pavaththana Sutta (wheel of Dhamma Set in Motion). Then we invite the monks to observe three months retreat at Dhamma Nikethanaya.

This is a highly blessed and an auspicious occasion, we encourage to keep the day free to join us and share the blessings! 

Spiritual Rains Retreat Three Months Season 14-07-2019 till 10-11-2019

Main Sponsors of 2019 Retreat: Mrs Subha Ramanayaka and family and friends

We invite all our friends and devotees of Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya Buddhist Cultural Centre to attend the special occasion of inviting venerable monks to the 2019 Spiritual Rains Retreat Season on Sunday 14^th July 2019 at 4.00PM. This formal invitation is an essential customary obligation of the friends and devotees of the centre.

 

Esala (July) Full Moon Day has many traditional significances. The three Jewels reached a completion on Esala (July) Full Moon Day with the ordination of the five ascetics as Bhikkhus and with the start of the Rainy Retreat “VAS” by the Buddha and his disciples. In commemoration of this great event and abiding to the monastic rules as laid down by the Buddha, the monks residing at Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya are observing their Rainy Retreat “Vas” for the twelfth consecutive year.

This special religious ceremony for INVITATION to commence Three Months Spiritual Rains Season will be held on Sunday 14^th July 2019 and we are cordially invite you to participate in this meritorious activity.

During this season both monks and lay devotees engage in extra Dana (Charity), Sila (Morality) and Bhavana (Meditation). Hence this period is regarded as the highest sacred in the Buddhist Calendar. At the end, to commemorate the success and achievements of the retreat, devotees host Sangha Day Gratitude Kathina Ceremony which will be held on Saturday 02nd November  2019. We kindly remind you to keep this date free for this special meritorious ceremony which can be held only once a year in any temple and share the merits of this.

This year the Rainy Retreat “Vas” period happens to be between 14^th July 2019 and 02nd November 2019. During this period we are organising a series of Weekly Dhamma Sermons, Bodhi poojas and meditation on Every Saturday Evening for the benefit of devotees and to make them understand to attend to the needs of the Buddhist monks during the rainy season. You can sponsor one week during this season. It is indeed in great help if you can sponsor one of these events during this periods to make the retreat success.

One individual can sponsor the event by taking the main responsibility. However it has to be done with the full participation of all the members (dayaka) of the centre.

This year 2019, principal sponsorship is granted to Mrs Subha Ramanayake and family and friends.

We also conduct a Special Ceremony on this Full Moon Day July (Esala) Sunday 14^th from 4PM till 6.00PM.

We kindly invite you to take part in this programme. If you wish to support by any other means to the day programme, please contact the centre.

Programme:  Sunday 14^th July 2019

05:00 PM:  Invitation to the Three Months Rains Retreat by the devotees lead by Mrs Subha Ramanayake Family and friends

05:15 PM:  Bodhi Pooja Blessings Ceremony

06:00 PM:  End of the Day Programme

All are Welcome!

 

Significances of Esala (July) Full Moon Day

 

 

Significances of Esala (July) Full Moon Day

 

Esala (July) full Moon Poya day is given much significance apart from other  two  main  full  moon  days Vesak (May) and Poson (June) because it is related  to  great  incidents  of  the  life  of  Prince  Siddartha (Later  the  Buddha) both  prior  to  and  following  his  Enlightenment.  Among  those significances, The conception  of  Boddhisatta  in  the  womb  of  Queen  Maya, The  Great  Renunciation  at the age of 29 the prince decided  to  leave  his  palace  and  beloved  ones  in  order  to  find  the  way  out  of  the  universal suffering,   Preaching   Abhidhamma  (Buddhist   Analytical   Philosophy   or  The  Highest  Dhamma)  to Matru Divya Rajaya (his  mother) in  the  Thavuthisa  heaven,  above  all,  two  months  after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, he delivered his first  sermon,  Dhamma  Chakka  Pawathna  Sutta  (the  wheel of truth) to the five ascetics, Realizing the Dhamma all  five  ascetics became  Bhikkhus  establishing the community of monks and as a result all three jewels (Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha) reached a completion, Declaration of his passing away to nibbanic bliss, the beginning of the ‘Vas’ “rainy season retreat” of the Sangha  or  the  monks,  Realizing  the  difficulties  that  mendicant  monks  undergone to propagate The Dhamma  during  the  rainy  season, The  Buddha  set out  a monastic  rule for monks to stay in one place during the rainy season, The first  Vas  was  observed  by  the Buddha and his first five disciples- the five ascetics  at  Isipathana  in  Benares, Laying of the foundation for the Ruwanwelisaya in Sri Lanka and its enshrinement of relics by  King  Dutugamunu,  Starting  the  Esala  Celebration  and  Procession  (Kandy Perahera) in Sri Lanka to honour  The  Tooth  Relic  of  The  Buddha  which  brought  to  Sri  Lanka  in  847  Buddhist  Era.

 

Venerable Monks Attended Annual Vassana Invitation Ceremony on Esala Full Moon Day 14-07-2019	Main Sponsor Mrs Suba Ramanayake Family together with devotees of the centre made the invitation to the Monks to observe Annual Vassana Retreat 2019
Main Sponsor Mrs Suba Ramanayake Family Friends and devotees of the centre made the invitation to the monks to observe the vassana 2019	Devotees of the Centre Invite monks for the Vassana Retreat Season 2019
Venerable Monks Chant the Dhamma Chakka Pavaththana Sutta on Esala Full Moon Day to start the Annual Vassana Retreat 14-07-2019	Devotees listen to the Dhamma Chakka Pavaththana Sutta on Esala Full Moon Day prior to the Vassana Invitation 14-07-2019
Devotees receiving blessings	Devotees receiving blessings
Main Sponsors of Vassana Season 2019	Main Sponsors of the Vassana Season 2019
Devotees offering pooja	Devotees Receiving Blessings