The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives
The Buddhist Hour
Radio Broadcast Script 249
for Sunday 3 November 2002
This
script is entitled:
Buddha Dhamma Practice and the Kathina
Robe-offering Ceremony
Glossary:
ceremony: a formal act or set of
formal acts established by custom or authority as proper to a special
occasion, such as religious rite, etc.
kathina: wooden
embroidery frame used to make Monks’ robes.
Kathina
is a word from the Pali language referring to the wooden embroidery
frame used in India to make Monks’ robes that came to be known
as Kathina Robes.
The Kathina ceremony is also known as the
Robe-offering or Robe-presentation ceremony. It marks the end of the
3 month Rains Retreat period.
The origin of the ceremony is
that once a group of thirty monks from Patha township set out for
Savatthi, where the Buddha was residing at Jeta Grove (Jetavana).
However, they could not make it in time before the start of the Rains
Retreat and decided to stay instead at Saketa, a neighbouring town of
Savatthi. When the Rains ended, they hastened to Savatthi to see the
Buddha. Perceiving that their Saffron Robes were all worn out as a
result of their efforts to reach him, the Buddha decreed the rule for
them to accept the clothes given by the lay persons within one-month
from the first day of the eleventh waning moon to the fullmoon of the
twelfth lunar month (occurring between mid-October and
mid-November).
This was the beginning of the Kathina Robes
Ceremony which has continued to the present time. Buddhist Dhamma
Practioners all over the world still observe the ceremony after the
rainy season, the robes offered are the same form as what they were
in ancient times and the words chanted during the ceremony have never
been altered.
The Kathina ceremony is very important to all
who participate - both the lay persons who make the offerings and the
Bikkhus (fully ordained monks) who receive them.
The benefit
of the Kathina ceremony is one of mutual support between Monks and
lay persons.
For the lay persons it is a very special
opportunity to make merit. This is so because it is they who organise
the ceremony. It is also an offering not to individual Monks but to
the whole Sangha (community of monks), which increases the merit. The
time of year also is important. The Rains Retreat is the Buddhist
“Lent”. At this time, religious activities in the
monasteries are at their peak: there are more Monks, more intensive
spiritual training, and more social service activities (Plamintr,
1991). This gives the ceremony that marks the official end of the
Rains Retreat special significance.
The merits for the giver
of Kathina Robes will:
bring wealth and fortune, together with
success in following one's career;
bring constant freshness,
brilliance and purity of mind;
facilitate concentration of the
mind and attainment with ease of the Dhamma inside;
bring about
wisdom in using one's wealth for the creation of long-term benefit,
nurturing and protecting oneself not only in this life, but also in
those to come;
bring physical beauty and radiance of complexion,
making one loved by all;
bring one respect of those around
one.
For the Bhikkhus (Monks) the ceremony is important not
only because of the time of year, but also because it offers an
opportunity for the lay people to support the Sangha and express
their devotion by making offerings of not only Robes but also food
and other essential items for Temple life.
The Bhikkhus who
participate gain 6 privileges:
They may go off without having
asked permission
They may go off without taking all three robes
They may participate in a group meal
They may participate in
an out-of-turn meal
They may keep as much robe-cloth as they need
or want without having to determine it or place it under dual
ownership
Whatever robe cloth arises there will be theirs. This
means that they have sole rights to any cloth accruing to the
Community in the residence where they spent the Rains.
These
privileges can extend through the four lunar months of the cold
season, up to the dawn after the full-moon day that ends the season
in late February or early-to-mid March (called Phagguna in Pali
language). (Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Buddhist Monastic Code).
Our
Members have many opportunities to participate in the wider Buddhist
Community and practice our Five Styles of Friendliness, Cultural
Adaptability, Practicality, Scholarship and Professionalism.
These
Five Styles form Five Mandalas. Together, they form a framework that
supports Buddha Dhamma practice.
Each year at this time
Members attend a number of Kathina Ceremonies at different temples
throughout Melbourne.
Although the ceremony has the same
essential elements, there are also cultural differences in the way
the ceremony is performed. Members have attended Thai, Cambodian and
Sri Lankan Kathina Ceremonies and this gives the opportunity to
practice Cultural Adaptability.
Each Temple also has their
own rules and customs. By observing each Temple’s rules and
customs, by dressing in white when required by the rules shows we are
versed in correct behaviour.
Attending the ceremony and
participating in it by making suitable offerings is also a practice
of confidence (saddha). Offerings are prescribed by the Vinaya and
are such things as food, robes, and essentials.
On Saturday 26
October 2002, Frank Carter, Lisa Nelson and Evelin Halls attended the
Kathina Ceremony at the Sakyamuni Buddha Vihara, 125 Homestead Road,
Berwick, Victoria, Australia. There were 18 Monks present at the
Ceremony; one Burmese, five Cambodian, one Nepalese, and eleven Sri
Lankan. The Senior Monk at the Sakyamuni Buddha Vihara is the
Venerable Wimalananda Mahathero. The Senior Monk at the Kathina
Ceremony was the Venerable Nanda Mahathero.
This was the first
Kathina Ceremony to be held in the new Vihara.
During the
ceremony lay people offered robes and other offerings at the Buddha
Altar. The Monks chanted specified ceremonial chants.
This
year, Members offered Dana.
Forest Monks follow the strong
practice over the whole year.
The biography of the late Phra
Acharn Mun Bhuridatta Thera is available at www.bddronline.net.au as
Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Volume 12 No. 7. Read this for more
understanding of the manner of practice of the Forest Monks.
All
the Monks present assembled within the Sema. According to the Vinaya
Rules a Sema is an area with boundaries established by a ceremony. It
is a protected place within which Monks can conduct meetings of the
Sangha.
Although many robes and other offerings are given by
lay people during the ceremony, there is one special offering: the
Kathina cloth. This is presented to the entire Sangha. The Sangha
then collectively decide who will receive the Kathina robe. The Monks
view one another’s performance over the Rainy Season with the
help of the Maha Sangha.
You can view photographs of this
traditional ceremony in the BDDR Online Vol. 12 No. 6 at
www.bddronline.com.au and www.bdcu.org.au Mr Tilak Wijewardene filmed
the ceremony and reports that the event will be shown on Channel 31,
Community Television, in about one month or so.
One of our
Members has requested the Venerable Bhikkhu Dhammannassita if he
would care to give a Buddha Dhamma talk on this Buddhist Hour
Program.
The Kathina Ceremony is also the traditional time in
Buddhist countries for the ordination of lay people as Monks and
Nuns. In past years, many past and present Members have offered
robes. In many cases our Members have taken robes. This year, our
Temple held its own Kathina ceremony.
On Sunday 26 October
2002, at our Temple, 400,000 Heavenly Devas were inducted into the
Maha Sangha.
We printed twenty images of Monks per page of A4
paper 2002 times making a total of 40,000 images. Each image
represented 10 Monks in the Naga stage.
By the authority of
the Abbott, John D. Hughes, Chan Academy Australia, 237 sheets
picturing 4,740 images, were sealed by applying 22 carat gold paint
with the Abbot's Seal depicting the Conch Shell. Each image
represented 10 Monks. This totalled 47,400 Monks certification on
that day.
All Monks were ordained simultaneously at once. We
have been continuing the certification process over the last week.
Over twenty vases of flowers and 44 bags of basmati rice were
offered at our main altar in Suite 1 to the heavenly Nagas, 36 x 5kg,
3 x 2kg, 4 x 1kg and 1 x 3kg totalling 187.4 kilograms of rice. Thank
you to all the Maha Sangha, the Devas and Devatas, who attended and
helped bless this special ceremony. Thank you to John D. Hughes and
Anita M. Hughes for preparing and carrying out the ordination
procedure. Thank you to Anita Hughes, Julie O'Donnell and Amber
Svensson for sewing the two large Monks' robes that were offered in
turn to each Naga. Thank you to all Members who participated: Julian
Bamford, Frank Carter, Evelin Halls, Julie O'Donnell, Rilla Pargeter,
Amber Svensson, Max Svensson and Pennie White. Thank you to Julian
Bamford, Amber Svensson and Pennie White for recording the event with
the digital camera.
You may view photographs of this ceremony
in the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Vol. 12 No. 6 at
www.bddronline.net.au and www.bdcu.org.au This ordination day was an
auspicious day as it was the first day of daylight savings in
Victoria for the 2002/2003 summer period.
For further
information on the Kathina Ceremony including explanations of the
origin and significance of the ceremony you can visit websites
http://www.dhammakaya.or.th/events/kathina.htm
and
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/
the latter gives a detailed
discussion of the ceremony in its historical context.
May you
experience the Kathina ceremony this life as one of mutual support
between Monks and lay people.
May you experience the merits
and blessings of offering robes at the Kathina ceremony.
If you
offer the seven requisites of a Monk in one life this can last a
world cycle so if you wish to ordain you could offer the seven
requisites.
In one case, a Naga presented to Buddha for
ordination had given six out of the seven requisites over the last
world cycle. He had not offered a bowl. The Buddha gave the new Monk
his bowl. If he had not done this then the new Monk would have lost
his bowl or it would have been destroyed or stolen or otherwise
displaced. It would not be possible to get a replacement.
May
you be well and happy.
The author's and editors of this script
are Julian Bamford, B.A.App.Rec., Frank Carter, B.Ec., Jason Glasson,
Evelin Halls, Dip.For.Lang.Cores, John D. Hughes Dip. App. Chem.
T.T.T.C. GDAIE, Anita Hughes RN Div 1, and Pennie White B.A. Dip.
Ed.
References
Mahavagga (VIII.13.4-8) cited in
Thanissaro Bikkhu (2002) Buddhist Monastic Code, The Robe Chapter,
available at URL
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/modern/thanissaro/bmc1/ch07-1.html
accessed on 28 October 2002.
Plamintr, Sunthorn Ph.D. (1991),
Basic Buddhism course. O.S. Printing House: Bangkok,. Cited at URL
http://www.dhammakaya.or.th/events/kathina.htm
accessed on 28
October 2002.
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Passive Sentences:
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