We were at a Kathina offering ceremony at the Sentul Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple in KL this morning.
If you have not heard of Kathina, this is actually a ceremony where devotees offer robes, daily requisites (such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, towel) or medicines to monks. Kathina is usually held at the end of Vassa. Vassa refers to the rainy season in India where monks would stay in the monastery for their retreats and cultivation, instead of going out to teach Buddhism. Vassa usually ends by middle or end of October. The practice of Kathina has taken place since the days of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, who originated from India. Kathina also gives devotees an opportunity to practise dana and help to sustain the monk community.
The above are the photos taken in the shrine hall of this temple. The first photo showed my friend offering a robe to a monk. The lady next to her was offered a blessed thread that the monk was tying around her wrist. Usually blessing chants are being carried out by monks holding on to a roll of threads and it's believed that the blessings would be transferred to one who wears the thread around his wrist. The threads are either yellow in colour or carries the 4 colours of the Buddhist flag, i.e. red, blue, white & yellow. In Malaysia, this is a simple way to identify a Buddhist.
Read about :
- Kathina Then & Now (a more detailed explanation on Kathina ceremony)
1 comment:
I am always curious about other cultures. Thank you for your informative posts.
An Arkie's Musings
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