Binara Full Moon Poya Day
Binara Poya in Sri Lanka is the full moon day of Binara, the sixth month in the Sinhala calendar which usually falls in September.
Binara Poya marks the beginning of the Vas season in which Bhikkhus retreat to temples and engage themselves in numerous activities including conducting Dhamma sermons, Dhamma discourses and meditation. They also guide devotees to get involved in various other religious activities such as Bodhi poojas and Pahan poojas.
Vas is the only season in which devotees regularly visit temples and provide the Bhikkhus with four essentials. They are the Cheevara (robes), Pindapatha (alms), Senasana (shelter) and Gilanupastana (medicine). Devotees also visit their village temples on other poya days, such as Vesak, Poson and Esala which are the three main poya days in the Buddhist calendar.
Queen Mahaprajapathi Gothami calls upon Ven. Ananda Thera to get the Buddha’s permission to form the Bhikkhuni Order.
The Buddha was at Vesali when Suddhodana died, and Pajapati decided to renounce the world, and waited for an opportunity to ask the permission of the Buddha.
Pajapati was already a sotapanna. She attained this eminence when the Buddha first visited his father’s palace and preached the Mahadhammapala Jataka.
Her opportunity came when the Buddha visited Kapilavatthu to settle the dispute between the Sakiyans and the Koliyans as to the right to take water from the river Rohini. When the dispute had been settled, the Buddha preached the Kalahavivada Sutta, and five hundred young Sakiyan men joined the Order. Their wives, led by Pajapati, went to the Buddha and asked leave to be ordained as nuns. This leave the Buddha refused, and he went on to Vesali. But Pajapati and her companions, nothing daunted, had barbers to cut off their hair, and donning yellow robes, followed the Buddha to Vesali on foot. They arrived with wounded feet at the Buddha’s monastery and repeated their request. The Buddha again refused, but Ananda interceded on their behalf and their request was granted, subject to eight strict conditions.
After her ordination, Pajapati came to the Buddha and worshipped him. The Buddha explained to her and gave her a subject for meditation. With this topic she developed insight and soon after won arahantship, while her five hundred companions attained to the same after listening to the Nandakovada Sutta. Later, at an assembly of Bhikkus and Bhikkunis in Jetavana, the Buddha declared Pajapati chief of those who had experience.