Page 121 - รวมเล่มศาสนาในประเทศไทย ภาคภาษาอังกฤษ

Religious Ceremonies and Important
Mural painting of the Life of the Lord Buddha. for merit making, for absorbing preaching while reciting a prayer and to have time for
Depicting the scene when the Lord Buddha
preached to the five ascetics in the ubosot of
Wat Ratchasittharam, Bangkok
Religious Days
Religious ceremonies in Buddhism are the prototypes and the customs that
Buddhist adherents should follow. They are customarily related to the cycle of life from
birth to death. In addition, important holy days are special days that Buddhist devout
laymen go to temples to make merit and practice religious activities. These days are:
the Dhammasavana or Uposatha (Observance) Day, Vesak or Visakah Puja Day, Magha Puja
Day, Asalha Puja Day, The Buddhist Lent Day and the End of Buddhist Lent Day.
The Dhammasavana Day
The Dhammasavana or Uposatha (Observance) Day are four holy days in a month,
when Buddhist laymen are gathered together each week for religious activities. The word
“Dhammasavana” refers to the hearing of the Buddhist chanting, therefore, it is the day when
the devout Buddhist goes to the temple to hear the dharma chanting, practice the precepts and
listen to the monks who are gathered in the ubosot too. The four days of the month stipulated
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for Dhammasavana Day, are the 8th day and the 15 day of the waxing moon and the 8 day and
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the 15 day of the waning moon. If the month is short of those days, the 14 day of the waning
moon can be used as a replacement.
For the Buddhist adherents in the past and people in the countryside today,
the holy days are an important opportunity to go to the monastery for offering food to the monks,
meditation. On that day, Buddhist devotees can practice the eight precepts or the ubosot precepts.
Furthermore, they should remove themselves from any immoral act because to be sinful on that
day is far worse than on any other days.
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