Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 95During the Rainy Season
Pāli / Sanskrit:Antovassa
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Antovassa Discourse — The Rainy Season in the Monastery
Background
The Antovassa discourse is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha, the code of rules for bhikkhus. This text deals with a very specific matter of the renunciant life in ancient India: the life of the Sangha during the rainy season.
The rainy season in India, called vassa, lasts three months (usually from August to October in the solar calendar). In the Buddha’s time, bhikkhus often wandered from place to place to teach the Dharma. However, the rainy season made long walking journeys difficult, could harm practice, and carried the risk of injuring small living beings on muddy ground. Therefore, the Buddha established a rule that bhikkhus must remain in one fixed place throughout the three months of rain, called vassa vasana.
The Antovassa discourse specifically sets forth situations and rules related to breaches of discipline by bhikkhus during or after the rainy season, especially cases in which a bhikkhu leaves the monastery contrary to regulation or does not observe the rains-retreat schedule.
Main Content
In the Pātimokkha, Antovassa is found in the Pācittiya chapter (offenses requiring confession). According to Theravāda legal materials, this discourse concerns the formula for undertaking the rainy season (vassa bhikkhu). A bhikkhu must declare that he will remain in one place throughout the three months of rain. If a bhikkhu leaves that residence without a legitimate permitted reason, such as serious illness or urgent business concerning the Sangha, he commits a Pācittiya offense, a fault requiring confession before the monks.
However, there are permitted exceptions. If a bhikkhu has a valid reason, such as illness, Sangha business, or a necessity concerning requisites for practice, he may leave the monastery temporarily without violation. The important point is that the bhikkhu must have sati (right mindfulness) regarding the purpose and must inform the other bhikkhus.
The discourse also mentions the formal conclusion of the vassa, called vassa pavāraṇā, the ceremony ending the rainy season after the three months have passed.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.