Pavāraṇā Day

Location: Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery

Description: On Pavāraṇā Day monastic communities all over the world will end the Vassa, the traditional rains retreat coinciding with the monsoon season in Asia. The Pavāraṇā Day, or Invitation Day, is a time where the monks invite feedback from each other and ask for forgiveness for any wrong doing after having practiced together for three months. The Vassa is a period of the year when monastics establish a boundary and determine to stay in one location for the period of three months, in this case, Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. During the Vassa monks are able to travel and give teachings, but can't be away from their established residence for more than six nights. This is usually a time of heightened practice and also involves formal study of the Vinaya, or code of monastic discipline.