Our first Uposatha Day (or Buddhist holiday) was February 15, 2009. We had a grand celebration including Lotus, the clown! The formal name for this day was Magha Puja or Sangha Day. Origianlly, there was a spontaneous assembly of 1250 monks and the Buddha delivered the Fire Sermon about the main points of the Dhamma. We shared food, meditation and a dhamma talk. We also had the precepts ceremony with five people taking the precepts for the first time.
Vesak will be celebrated on Thursday, May 14, 2009 with a pot luck supper at 6:00 pm. This festival is also called Buddha Day for it celebrates the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha. All of which happened on the first full moon in May. There will be flowers, candles and participants may wear white clothing.
Dhamma Day or Asalha Puja will be Sunday, August 9, 2009. This will be an all day retreat at the meditation hall. There will be sitting and walking meditation plus a dhamma talk on the Four Noble Truths. This is in reminder that on this day the Buddha gave his first sermon about the Four Noble Truths and set in motion the wheel of dhamma.
The final Uposatha Day will be Thursday November 12, 2009 at 6:00 pm. This is Anapanasti Day which marks the presentation of the insturctions on Mindfulness of Breathing. This is fundamental knowledge for meditation practice. There will be a meal together plus meditation and dhamma talk.
Add one more date to your calendar. October 4, 2009. This is our annual family picnic. It marks the end of the "rains retreat" (of three months) for monks and nuns in Asia. In Asia lay people give food to the monks and the poor at this time. Our sangha will bring food for the Tri-state Food Bank.
