KATHINA DAY

By Pamela Hirsh

At the beginning of November we celebrated Kathina day, the end of the Rains Retreat. Buddha instituted the retreat because He cared about His monks. He didn't want them to go out in the monsoon and risk getting drowned. Also, during the rainy season, lots of new life is coming into being. Many new animals are born. Because Lord Buddha cared about the small animals, He didn't want the monks to wander about preaching the Dhamma in case they stepped on some of them and killed them. This is also the time in India when the crops are growing abundantly. As Lord Buddha was concerned about the people who depended on the crops for food, He did not want the monks to walk everywhere, because they may have trampled some of them. Also the monks needed spiritual refreshment, after preaching all year, so He kept them inside, and taught them more of the Dhamma.

At the end of the Rains Retreat, the lay people would come to bring new robes to the Buddha and His Sangha, to help them prepare for a new season of preaching. How I would love to have been there and to have presented to the Lord Buddha a robe which I had spun, woven and dyed myself. - Like Sujata, who offered to the Buddha the work of her own hands, some food which she had prepared with care and gratitude. The first time I heard the story was when Linda and I were at the Buddhism class at Buddhavihara Temple. Ajahn Laow told us that she had offered milk-rice to the Buddha. As typical Buddhist women, always on the lookout for something good to cook for the monks, we asked him enthusiastically, “Was it sticky rice or ordinary rice? Coconut milk or ordinary milk”? Ajahn Laow laughed heartily and replied, “I'm sorry ladies. I don't have the recipe”.

Sujata was unable to have a baby. So she went to a tree to ask the tree-spirit to help her. It just happened to be the pipal tree under which the Bodhisatta would some time later shelter as He strove for enlightenment. After some time Sujata had a baby and she thought, “I must return and thank the tree-spirit for answering my prayer”. When she arrived with her offering of food, she saw the Buddha seated under the tree. He had attained three kinds of supramundane knowledge. The third one was asavakkhaya, the destruction of all the corruptions. Therefore his body was shining, because He was so pure, and perfect in behaviour, compassion and wisdom. Sujata thought He was the tree spirit who had granted her wish, so she paid respect to Him and made her offering.

At Kathina day, I had the opportunity to offer a robe to the Sangha. Of course, in terms of His physical presence, unlike Sujata, I could not bring my offering directly to the Buddha but, in my mind I was kneeling before Him, so that was exactly what I did and it brought me spiritual happiness. We know these rituals cannot bring us liberation from the cycle of samsaric life, but perhaps they can prepare our minds for it, as they provide us with a temporary escape from the defilements. Because at that moment of offering the robe, there is no greed, no ill will, no sceptical doubt. There is only peace.

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