Three Months Spiritual Rains Retreat Season begins on Sunday 14th July 2024

Annual Invitation Ceremony for Vassana Three Months Spiritual Rains Retreat

This year Vassana (Rains Retreat) Season will be from 14th July 2024 till 16th November 2024. You can sponsor a week during this three months holy period in order to share the noble merits and blessings of this sacred period. We will be hosting Special Blessings Pooja and protection chanting on every Saturday. You can sponsor any of these Saturday poojas.

Traditional Invitation to the

2024 Spiritual Rains Three Months Retreat

Invitation Ceremony to Vassana Sunday 14th July 2024


Do Join at temple or Online Temple from Zoom with the ID: 696 889 1414 Passcode: dhamma

05:00PM Buddha Vandana, Bodhi Pooja, Homage
05:20PM:  Sinhala Dhamma Talk & English Dhamma Talk

05:40PM: Vassana Invitation

06:00PM: Chanting of Most Sacred Sutta “Dhamma Chakkha Pavaththana Sutta” and Seth Pirith Special Protection Blessings Chanting

06:45PM: Sharing Merits (anumodana) and Blessings


This Sunday Evening Pooja is sponsored by

  • Mr Indika Daluwathumulla, Mrs Malindi & Family.
  • Mr Rasika Jayawardena, Mrs Wipuli & Family.
  • Mr Upul Ekanayake, Mrs Thanuja & Family.

with the participation of all the devotees of the Buddhist Centre.


Login Details to Join our Online Temple

Zoom ID: 696 889 14 14
Password: dhamma


Dear All,

Greetings with Dhamma Blessings..!

Namo Buddhaya..!

You are cordially invited to our Esala Full Moon Day Programme together with Invitation Ceremony to Annual Three Months Rains Retreat, held on Sunday 14th July 2024 at 5.00PM at temple. 

You can attend in person or online by using zoom ID 696 889 1414. Passcode: dhamma

This holiest spiritual day blessings will be very meaningful to attend. We dedicate this Spiritual Three Months to bless all with good health and liberation.


We will continue to host weekly meditation programmes, children dhamma school, pooja blessings, pirith chanting, dana programmes. All are requested to attend in person or online.

May all the blessings, merits be with all those who worked very hard to support the centre by monthly standing orders and the other means.

We invite all to join online or in person temple programme on this holiest day Esala (July) Full Moon Day on Sunday 14th July 2024. Programme will start at 5.00PM with Bodhi Pooja, Vas Aradhana (Invitation to Three Months Spiritual Rains Retreat), Chanting of First Discourse, Dhamma Chakkha Pavaththana Sutta and Blessings.

This day we start the programme with Bodhi Pooja and chanting the first sermon of the Lord Buddha, Dhamma chakka pavaththana Sutta (wheel of Dhamma Set in Motion). Then we invite the monks to observe three months retreat at Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya.

This is a highly blessed and an auspicious occasion, we encourage to keep the day free to join us and share the blessings!


Spiritual Rains Retreat Three Months Season from 14-07-2024 till 16-11-2024


We invite all our friends and devotees of Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya Buddhist Cultural Centre to attend online or in person on Sunday 14th July 2024 at 5.00PM.


Esala (July) Full Moon Day has many traditional significances. The three Jewels reached a completion on Esala (July) Full Moon Day with the ordination of the five ascetics as Bhikkhus and with the start of the Rainy Retreat “VAS” by the Buddha and his disciples. In commemoration of this great event and abiding to the monastic rules as laid down by the Buddha, the monks residing at Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya are observing their Rainy Retreat “Vas” for the seventeenth consecutive year.

During this season both monks and lay devotees engage in extra Dana (Charity), Sila (Morality) and Bhavana (Meditation). Hence this period is regarded as the highest sacred in the Buddhist Calendar. At the end, to commemorate the success and achievements of the retreat, devotees host Sangha Day Gratitude Kathina Ceremony which will be held. We kindly remind you to keep this date free for this special meritorious ceremony which can be held only once a year in any temple and share the merits of this.

This year the Rainy Retreat “Vas” period happens to be between 14th July 2024 and 16th November 2024. During this period we are organising a series of Weekly Dhamma Sermons, Bodhi poojas and meditation on Every Saturday Evening for the benefit of devotees and to make them understand to attend to the needs of the Buddhist monks during the rainy season. You can sponsor one or more weeks during this season as you wish. It is a great blessing to sponsor a pooja during this holiest retreat period. It is indeed in great help if you can sponsor one of these events during this periods to make the retreat success.

One individual or with your whole family can sponsor the event by taking the main responsibility. However it has to be done with the full participation of all the members (dayaka) of the centre.

We also conduct a Special Ceremony on this Full Moon Day July (Esala) Sunday 14th from 5PM till 7.00PM.

We kindly invite you to take part in this programme. If you wish to support by any other means to the day programme, please contact the centre (the event co-ordinator Ms Padma on whatsApp or text or call on 07944135314).


Programme:  Sunday 14th July 2024



06:00 PM:  Buddha Vandana Homage, Bodhi Pooja Blessings Ceremony.

06:45 PM:  Chanting of Dhammachakkapavaththana Sutta and seth pirith protection blessings.

07:45 PM: End of the Day Programme

All are Welcome!

 


                                                  

 

Significances of Esala (July) Full Moon Day

 

Significances of Esala (July) Full Moon Day

 

Esala (July) full Moon Poya day is given much significance apart from other  two  main  full  moon  days Vesak (May) and Poson (June) because it is related  to  great  incidents  of  the  life  of  Prince  Siddartha (Later  the  Buddha) both  prior  to  and  following  his  Enlightenment.  Among  those significances, The conception  of  Boddhisatta  in  the  womb  of  Queen  Maya, The  Great  Renunciation  at the age of 29 the prince decided  to  leave  his  palace  and  beloved  ones  in  order  to  find  the  way  out  of  the  universal suffering,   Preaching Abhidhamma (Buddhist   Analytical   Philosophy   or  The  Highest  Dhamma) to Matru Divya Rajaya (his  mother) in  the  Thavuthisa  heaven,  above  all,  two  months  after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, he delivered his first  sermon,  Dhamma  Chakka  Pawathna  Sutta  (the  wheel of truth) to the five ascetics, Realizing the Dhamma all five ascetics became Bhikkhus establishing the community of monks and as a result all three jewels (Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha) reached a completion, Declaration of his passing away to nibbanic bliss, the beginning of the ‘Vas’ “rainy season retreat” of the Sangha  or  the  monks,  Realizing  the  difficulties  that  mendicant  monks  undergone to propagate The Dhamma  during  the  rainy  season, The  Buddha  set out  a monastic  rule for monks to stay in one place during the rainy season, The first  Vas  was  observed  by  the Buddha and his first five disciples - the five ascetics  at  Isipathana  in  Benares, Laying of the foundation for the Ruwanwelisaya in Sri Lanka and its enshrinement of relics by  King  Dutugamunu,  Starting  the  Esala  Celebration  and  Procession  (Kandy Perahera) in Sri Lanka to honour  The  Tooth  Relic  of  The  Buddha  which  brought  to  Sri  Lanka  in  847  Buddhist  Era.


                



For Sponsorships of this rare occasion or Other Information, Please Contact The Centre.

All Are Cordially Welcome..!

Ways to Sponsor and help:


Sponsor one of 12 Weekly Pooja:
A suggested donation for one of the 12 weekly poojas is £100/=, in addition to preparing the pooja items such as flowers, gilanpasa, lights, etc. It is possible to request a Dhamma activity of your preference on the day of your sponsored pooja (e.g., Bodhi Pooja, Mawpiya Vandana, Offering of Medicinal Requisites, Talk by invited monk, etc.)

Sponsor Atavisi (28) Sambuddha Poojava: Saturday 21st September 2024

  • One of 28 Buddha Pooja (suggested donation £100/=. This includes all pooja items for one of the 28 SamBuddha Poojava such as an Atapirikara, a Robe & a Gilanpasa tray with flowers incense etc.)

Or offering items separately such as
offering of

  • An Atapirikara (Suggested Donation £50/=)
  • A Robe (Cheevara) (Suggested Donation £30/=)
  • A Full Gilanpasa Flowers Light Incense Pooja Tray (Suggested donation £15/=)
  • by any other general donation.

Note: Although donations for sponsorship have been suggested, you are welcome to donate any amount you feel able to

Forthcoming Event Dates and Availabilities for Sponsoring
During the 2024 Vassana Season Three Months Spiritual Retreat at Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya Buddhist Centre:

  • Saturday 05th August at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 12th August at 6PM
Sponsor needed: 

  • Saturday 19th August at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 26th August at 6PM
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 02nd September at 6PM
Sath Budu Vandana (Homage Pooja for Seven Enlighten Buddhas)
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 09th September at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 16th September at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 23rd September at 6PM
Binara Full Moon Poya Day & Atavisi Buddha Special Pooja
Sponsors and things needed for 28 SamBuddha poojava or to offer Robes or Atapirikaare are posted as a separate event on our website.

  • Saturday 30th September at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 07th October at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 14th October at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 21st October at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 29th October at 6PM
Vap Full Moon Poya Day.
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 04th November at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 11th November at 6PM
Annual Kathina Ceremony of Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya.
Sponsored: Mr Dharshana, Mrs Harshani Weerasinghe Family and further opportunities for others to sponsor Kathina Day ceremony.

  • Saturday 19th November at 6PM
Sponsor needed:

  • Saturday 26th November at 6PM
Ill Full Moon Poya Day
Sponsor needed:

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