This year's Vassa, the rains retreat, is ending today. Vassa is a three-month intensive practice period observed by Theravada monastics.
For those of you unfamiliar with the rains retreat -- the first Buddhist monks were homeless wanderers, going from village to village teaching and begging for alms. But during the summer monsoon season, the incessant rain made traveling difficult. The Buddha also was concerned that large numbers of monks and nuns clomping about the slippery, soggy countryside might damage crops or wildlife.
So, he declared that during the three-month monsoons, monastics should take shelter and stay put. They were to use that time to intensify their meditation and study. These temporary communities may have been the template for the first monasteries.
I believe Vassa is observed by all Theravada monastics, even if they live in places without monsoons. Many Mahayana monastics also have intensive practice periods derived from Vassa, but they aren't tied to seasons in the same way.
After Vassa is a four-week period where the rules are relaxed a bit. During this time Buddhist laypeople organize Kathina ceremonies for giving necessities to the monastic sangha, especially cloth for making robes. Theravadins continue to follow the rules of the Vinaya about Buddhist monastic robes, which makes acquiring a new robe something of a project.
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