Published On:Sunday 2 November 2014
Posted by Unknown
Buddhists are celebrating month long Kathina robe offerings
Uzzal Barua Basu : Buddhists are celebrating month
long kathina robe offerings to monks in the various countries of the world.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and many other countries are
celebrating this occasion in festive mood. Buddhists get this festive once in a
year.
What is Kathina robe
offerings?
Kathina robe offerings is a Buddhist festival
which comes at the end of Buddhist Lent of vassa(Vas in Sinhala, and Vassa in pali which
refers to rainy season). Katina literally means ‘firm,’ or ‘solid,’ because the offering
of a Katina robe helps to earn solid good karma. The Kathina festival is a
major observance of Theravada
Buddhism. Laypeople offers cloth for robes and other necessities to
the Buddhist monks in this time. Kathina takes place every year. After the
three months of rainy season it is take place once in a Buddhist temple within
one month.
It is the time to express gratitude to monks. Lay Buddhists
offers various things especially new robes to monks in this festive. Katina
refers to the offering of the special robe prepared and presented to monks who
have completed the three-month period of retreat.
History
According to the
Mahavagga, which is a section of the Vinaya-pitak,
.thirty bhikkhus stared their journey to spend vassa with
Buddha. But Vassa began before they reached their destination and they
had to stop. According to
Buddha's guidelines for Vassa, monks cannot travel during the rainy season as
they may unintentionally harm crops and/or insects during their journey. As such, the monks had to stop.
When the thirty monks
came to the Buddha after vassa, the Budda rewarded the monks by demonstrating a
way to practice sharing and generosity. A lay disciple had previously donated
cloth to the Buddha, the Buddha gave
that cloth to the group of monks and told them to make it into a robe and then
offer it as a gift to one of them. A frame, called a Kathina, was used to
spread the robe while it was being made.
The Buddha also established a procedure for giving and receiving
cloth to make robes.After the successful end of Vassa, gifts of cloth may be given to a
sangha, or community, of monks, but not to individual monks. The cloth must be
given freely and spontaneously; monks may not ask for cloth or even hint that
they could use some.
So, Kathina is not just about cloth; it is also about firm
commitment to monastic life.
Who donated kathina robe first?
Prominent chief lay lady disciple Visakha donated kathina robe
first. On one occasion
Visakha expressed her desire to offer a special piece of cloth
to each monk and
invite monks for Vas observation in the monastery. The Buddha
accepted the invitation.
Following this custom, Buddhists follow the practice of inviting
monks to go into retreat.
Why is the Katina robe special?
Ven. Nagit Sthabir explained
the unlimited results of this Kathina robe offerings which we get in holy
Tripitaka.
The Katina robe is very
must significant for Buddhists because
during the three-month Vas period, Buddhist monks remained fully dedicated to purifying themselves
through
the rigorous practice of meditation and moral conduct. As the
monks end the retreat and
come back to society, they become deservedly worthy of offering
and veneration as
‘punnakkhetta’ or ‘field of merit’ to the fullest extent
possible. The offering of the Katina robe is considered immensely meritorious
since it
involves three months of preparation and dedication. The
ceremony become important
and meritorious because of the potency of the merit gathered
during the period of retreat,
both by the monks and the devotees. The Katina robe is
symbolizes the successful
culmination of the rainy retreat.
Now a days kathina robe offerings varies from region to region
or country to country. In Bangladesh the devotees of Rajban Vihar, Rangamati
prepare the robe within 24 hours and donate it to the monks. Few other devotees
of other region also do this in same way. But most of the Bangladeshi Buddhists
offer a readymade cloth or robe to the monks in this special day. Buddhists of
the world are celebrating this festival
in different festive mood.
