Pavarana


Pavarana is a Buddhist holy day celebrated on Aashvin full moon of the lunar month. It marks the end of the 3 lunar months of Vassa, sometimes called "Buddhist Lent." The day is marked in some Asian countries where Theravada Buddhism is practiced. On this day, each monk must come before the community of monks and atone for an offense he may have committed during the Vassa.
Most Mahayana Buddhists do not observe Vassa, though many Son/Thien monks in Korea and Vietnam do observe an equivalent retreat of three months of intensive practice in one location.

Origins

In India, where Buddhism began, there is a three-month-long rainy season. According to the Vinaya, in the time of the Buddha, once during this rainy season, a group of normally wandering monks sought shelter by co-habitating in a residence. In order to minimize potential inter-personal strife while co-habitating, the monks agreed to remain silent for the entire three months and agreed upon a non-verbal means for sharing alms.
After this rains retreat, when the Buddha learned of the monks' silence, he described such a measure as "foolish." Instead, the Buddha instituted the Pavarana Ceremony as a means for dealing with potential conflict and breaches of disciplinary rules during the vassa season. The Buddha said: