Are we ever bad at observing the Uposatha

I don’t like to preach. First of all, I’m not qualified, but second of all, I find that thats what “Buddhisming” on the internet all too often turns into, and often unintentionally.

We all want to find “the truth”. That involves hypothesizing as to that truth and testing.

These posts are just my idle hypotheses, as I’m sure your’s are your hypotheses. With that in mind, IMO, there is no wholesomeness or unwholesomeness to ritual. It is the mindset of the practitioner regarding that ritual that makes it wholesome or unwholesome.

I don’t know if the Buddha also said that. Thats just me trying to put things together.

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It’s all just IMO, and thats fine by me - and when it comes to rituals that is regarded as insignificant by most of the western practitioners (that i’ve heard and met in person) - i have my own experience with by just forgetting about what is thought and said by others, and just done them - and the positive results for my own practice is sure, so in that sense is my take on this matter that no rituals are “bad” or unwholesome, it’s all up to how one “holds” them in one’s overall practice of the eightfold path

Be a lamp on to oneself

And I like to add that I don’t care if anybody finds me preaching … , because i see that being also a kind of “ritual” …

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I find this difficult too. Sometimes I get around it by recollecting the feeling that comes right after a good act, or the general feeling of periods where my behavior has been particularly good.

Or for example with generosity, recollecting the feeling from being generous rather than any particular events or episodes.

In this way, a specific memory is more like a pointer to remember the feeling of inspiration and joy that comes during/after a good act. And then just focusing on that, building it up in the mind.

Something to try maybe if you haven’t already :slight_smile:

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I liked what I read of your essay, I skipped the rest after the reference to the four great kings.
Is the uposatha the new moon and full moon days? Thanks for the info bhante.

Yes. Some really devoted Buddhists also celebrate the half-moons as well.

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Using the above Buddhist Calendar (best mounted on a cork-board, I guess), here is today’s date (according to my Sri Lankan Monk friend):

According to my door chart, today is
(Wed) April 11 (2018)
Year 16 Soṇa 2561
Gimhāna Utu (its Hot)
Vesākha Māso (last month of the year)
Kālapakkha (moon is waning)
3rd Uposatha approaching, 2 have passed in this season and 7 remain (because of the leap-month, otherwise would be 5)
Ekādassamaṃ (11th)
Budhavāro (aka Odin’s day aka Wednesday)

So if I had some red push-pins, here is what the wall calendar would look like today:

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If you want to be a Buddhist super-nerd and understand the Vedic way of using lunar calendars (which apparently originates from the Greeks, I’m informed), then reading Appendix III in this PDF is recommended (drink like 2 coffees first, or you might fall asleep), see PDF’s pages 189-207, internal numbering pg. 171-189:

Mode Of Veneration of the Buddh - Ven. Nauyana Ariyadhamma Maha T.pdf (15.4 MB)

That’s the default Pali chanting book of Na Uyana, BTW, a monastery where I stayed in Sri Lanka.

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Thank you Venerable Subharo :smiley:

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Uposatha is rarely kept even in traditionally Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, AFAIK. There may be monthly 8 precept observance days where a lot of dhamma teachings take place, with a little bit of meditation. These are monthly ‘Sil’ (morality training) days, supplanted in more western settings by meditation day retreats.

I don’t know if Uposatha has run its course- except for those who do keep it of course. Buddha even had problems getting people to keep it - even people like Mahanama who was well renowned in the dispensation.

With metta

Here’s a link for a good Dhammayut (the other Thai sect) uposatha calendar:

https://dharma-records.buddhasasana.net/notices/uposatha-calendars-2018

Thanks for that. I like how it shows several traditions, all in one place.

It should be noted that:

  1. The .ical file I linked to above conforms to Thai Maha Nikaya calculations for placing when the full moons/new moons/half moons are. That’s the tradition I ordained into.
  2. The one-page calendar linked to above shows the Maka Nikaya calculations primarily (denoted with larger moon symbols), but shows the more precise astrological (as in, when these events truly occur up in the sky) moon calculations secondarily, as little footnote-sized moon symbols.

Here’s sort of what the next Uposatha full moon will look like, up in the sky, as seen in Stellarium (In my location, it will be below the horizon, shown by the green line, and unfortunately during a time of sunlight, but Stellarium can “cheat” and show it to me, anyway):

The zodiac signs give you a sense of what part of the sky is getting looked at.

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There’s an “Uposatha Observance Club” over on Dhammawheel.

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Can someone explain how to read this calendar

I have been trying to find the most precise information on how to keep uposatha on the proper days, according to the time of the Buddha (I assume which would be ideal)

This thread was very informative Uposatha Observance Days According to the Suttas & Vinaya

In accordance with the vinaya quote I keep the 8th, 14th and 15th. Also the second fortnight after the Chinese lantern festival

Sorry it’s not true that the Buddha was not a friend of rituals. He taught that sīlabbataparāmāsa was a fetter, which does not merely equate to ‘rituals’

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the reminder Bhante

I’m learning that with rituals we can impress the subconscious mind. It’s very necessary. And Buddha knew it. The way he is decribing the gods might be to modern spiritualist garbage. But it doesn’t matter that you believe. See it as saying a way to impress the mind so as to keep the mind interested in keeping that day holy because hey this sounds good.

But I see sun and moon being mentioned. Which is light and darkness. Good and Evil. Buddha and Mara. Subconscious mind and conscious mind.

The symbolism of full moon is that of Middle Path which brings us to what we want(Happiness) that is subconscious mind connecting with the conscious mind. The sun light to moon. So monks do walking meditation on full moon to ground themselves. The two feet on the ground presents the duality again. And grounding the right way will depolarize yourself. I’m saying this. But now I understand why I experienced my meditation better while I was around Sri Lanka Vesak celebration. Been walking barefoot. So depolarization is making that circuit in you body so as to connect the Earth with the Mind. Giving bliss faster. That’s why thinking heavenly is just a way to impress the subconscious mind. Which is the light of consciousness. :sunny:

The problem with the lunisolar calendar is that it’s not universal. It works when you live in the tropics, but not once you venture outside the tropics towards the poles.

The system of timekeeping which is popular today has the virtue of working really decently no matter where you are on Earth, not just the tropics. All our gadgets operate by it.

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According to The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, written by Xuanzang in the 7th century, The term ‘神變月’ refers to the 1st to the 15th day of the 1th month of the Chinese calendar. It is the Lantern Festival and the fortnight before.

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