Did You Know? Did you know that the rainy season, which is also called vassa, actually starts the day after the full moon, rather than on the full moon day itself? Not many people know this, but why is that? It’s because the full moon day is actually the last day of the lunar month. The new lunar month begins on the day just after the full moon. Although the public ceremonies for the lay people are held on the full moon day, that’s just for the laity, which is why most people don’t realize how the monastic calendar works.

Yesterday, I recited the 227 rules of the Pātimokkha for 110 bhikkhus at Pa-Auk Meditation Center in Pyin Oo Lwin. When a monk recites the Pātimokkha, traditionally he does so by memory and not by reading. My recitation was not the best quality, but it was not so bad considering I only started when I was 47, and I have only done this 5 times now. However, the recitations get better and better each time I do it and I hope improvement continues until perfection.

Recently, I got a nice message from a monk friend telling me he was taking vassa (3 month Rainy Season Retreat) on July 23rd (the Full Moon Day) and wishing me a happy vassa before he goes offline for three months. However, we at Pa-Auk are taking the vassa today on July 24 (the day after the Full Moon Day). The calendars often say it starts on the Full Moon Day, but we don’t do that at Pa-Auk. So who is correct? Rainy Season from the back of the sima hall