You are cordially invited to attend the Asalha Puja celebration on Sunday, July 29, 2007, at Wat Phrasriratanaram, 890 Lindsay Lane, Florissant, MO.

Asalha Puja (known as Asanha Puja in Thailand) is a Theravada Buddhist festival which typically takes place in July, on the full moon of the eighth lunar month.

It commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon, Dhammacakappawattana Sutta, given at the Deer Park in Benares to the First Five Disciples, advising Buddhists to pratice the Middle Path, avoiding the 2 extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification, to realize the Four Noble Truths, namely, Suffering, Cause of suffering, End of suffering, and Middle Path to end suffering.

This resulted in the founding of the Buddhist sangha, as Gondhanya, one of those Five Disciples attained first level of enlightenment, i.e., a sotapan, thus completed the Triple Gem of Buddha (the Teacher), Dharma (the teaching of the Truth), and Sangha (the Noble Disciples).

The day is observed by donating offerings to temples and listening to sermons. The following day is known as Wan Kao Pansa; it is the first day of vassa, the Theravada rains retreat.

Event Info

10:30am	Monks reciting Buddhist Sutras
11:00am	Food offering to the monks
11:30am	Having lunch together
12:45am	Sermon Listening
1:00pm	Vientien-circumambulation, commemorating Asalha Puja Day
2:00pm	Practicing Insight Meditation