Asalha Puja Day
History, Importance and Customs
The Lord Buddha gave the first sermon on Asalha Puja Day
Asalha Puja, the full moon night of the 8th lunar month, this year falling on Jul 30, marks the day the Buddha delivered his first sermon on the Four Noble Truths - that suffering exists, craving is its cause, the path out exists, and what that entails (Noble Eightfold Path). Buddhist Lent, beginning a day after, on Jul 31, is a 3 month period where seekers of the spiritual path engage in more intensive spiritual training, whether that be to meditate, to increase one's hours of practice, or to abstain from intoxicants, etc...I invite you to embark on this rewarding 3-month long journey towards self-development and the cultivation of inner peace by engaging in daily meditative practice.
History
Asalha Puja Day is another important day in Buddhism. It falls on the 15th waxing moon day of the 8th lunar month. Four events took place during the times of our Lord Buddha as follows.
1. It was the day of our Lord Buddha’s first sermon to the five ascetics in the forest of Isipatanamarugadivan near Benares.
2. It was the day of our Lord Buddha’s first disciple. His name was Kondañña, he became enlightened as the first Stream-Winner.
The First Buddhist Monk was Añña Kondañña Bhukkhu
3. It was the day of the first Buddhist monk. The monk was Kondañña. After he had become a Stream-Winner, he requested an ordination. Our Lord Buddha ordained him as the first monk in Buddhism.
4. It is the birth date of the Triple Gem, which includes the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha or monks. The first witness to the Buddha’s Enlightenment had occurred. This completed the Lord Buddha’s Buddhahood. It meant that the Buddha did not attain Enlightenment and kept the Knowledge to Himself like a Silent Buddha.