You are invited to attend Asalaha Puja Day and the Buddhist Lent celebration and merit-making ceremony at San Fran Dhammaram Temple on Sunday, July 25, 2021.

Asalha Puja Day commemorates the day in which the Buddha gave his first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta “Setting the Wheel of Dhamma into Motion,” to his first five disciples. The main topic of this sermon is the Four Noble Truths, which provide the framework for all of the Buddha’s teachings. At the end of the sermon, one of the five disciples was able to understand and possess a firm truth in the Dhamma. He then asked to be ordained as a Buddhist monk, thus establishing the order of monks called the Sangha.

Following Asalha Puja Day is the beginning of the Buddhist Lent, a period established by the Buddha in which all monks must stay in one monastery throughout the rainy season. In many monasteries, monks dedicate this three-month period to intensive Dhamma practice.

The commemoration of this annual event includes the offering of candles, alms, and charity to monks, listening to the Buddha’s teachings, chanting, and a candle procession to pay homage to the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha).