Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pc 101During the Rainy Season
Pāli / Sanskrit:Antovassa
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Antovassa Sutta (During the Rainy Season) — Explanation
Background
The Antovassa text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Buddhist tradition (Theravāda), recorded in the Pātimokkha Sutta, the basic code of practice for monks and nuns. In the historical context, during the Buddha’s time, monks and nuns practiced according to two main periods: the cold season (hemanta) and the hot season (gīsma). However, as the Buddha-Dharma developed in India, people recognized the urgent need for the rainy season (vassāna), also called the rains retreat (vassa-vassana).
The annual rainy season, from the seventh to the ninth lunar month, about three months, is the period when monks and nuns practice in concentration and do not wander on almsround because of difficult terrain. This is a time when Buddhism gathers spiritual energy, training concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā). The Antovassa text therefore records rules concerning action, speech, and thought throughout this rainy season.
Main Content
The specific content of this text has not been fully translated in the descriptive information, but according to the context of the traditional Pāli Vinaya Piṭaka, the Antovassa text prescribes the following points:
Regarding action (kāya-saṅkhāra): Monks and nuns must avoid harmful actions throughout the rains retreat. This includes avoiding killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and drinking alcohol. Especially during the rainy season, when living beings arise in great numbers, the rule against killing is emphasized more strongly.
Regarding speech (vacī-saṅkhāra): Monks and nuns must keep speech truthful, avoid useless talk, and avoid speech that is divisive, harsh, or fanciful. The rainy season is a long period in which communities practice together in one place, so harmony (sāmaggī) in the community (sangha) becomes especially important.
Regarding thought (mano-saṅkhāra): The mind must be focused on the Dharma, on meditation practice, on understanding the true Dharma (sammā-diṭṭhi), and on boundless loving-kindness (mettā). Thoughts of greed, hatred, and delusion are to be avoided throughout this long period.
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