Uposatha

Meaning

A Buddhist “practice day” tied to the lunar calendar. For monastics it means an assembly of the Saṅgha and recitation of the Pātimokkha; for lay people, intensified practice and keeping the eight precepts.

The traditional uposatha days for lay people are the full moon, the new moon and the two quarters between them - something like a Sunday, only by the lunar calendar, and instead of a day off it is work with the mind. The monastic Saṅgha formally holds uposatha twice a lunar month, usually at the full and new moon.

Where it comes from

The tradition of lunar days is older than Buddhism. The word derives from the Vedic upavasatha, a fast day preceding a sacrificial ritual (literally from upa + √vas, “to dwell nearby”).

The Vinaya preserves the story of how it became Buddhist: King Bimbisāra noticed that followers of other teachings gathered on the 8th, 14th and 15th days of the lunar cycle and that people came to hear their teaching, and suggested the Buddha do the same. The Buddha first allowed the monks to gather, then to teach the Dhamma on those days, and later established the recitation of the Pātimokkha.

In AN 3.70 the Buddha describes the “uposatha of the noble ones” as a day of purifying the mind: recollection of the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Saṅgha and one’s own virtue gradually cleanses the mind, much as one washes the body, a cloth or a dirty mirror.

What monastics do

For the monastic Saṅgha, uposatha is the administrative and spiritual glue. Every fortnight the community gathers and recites the Pātimokkha, the full code of monastic rules (227 for monks).

Before the recitation, offences requiring confession are to be disclosed and settled according to the Vinaya, usually by confession to another monk. During the recitation, after each section of the Pātimokkha, those present are asked whether they are pure with regard to those rules; silence is taken as confirmation of purity.

What lay people do

On uposatha, lay people traditionally take eight precepts instead of the usual five.

The first five: not to kill; not to take what is not given; abstention from sexual misconduct (replaced for the duration of the uposatha by abrahmacariya, complete celibacy); not to lie; not to take intoxicants.

The additional three:

• not to eat after midday
• abstaining from dancing, music, shows, garlands, cosmetics and adornments
• abstaining from high and luxurious seats and beds

The point of the eighth precept is to give up luxury and excess bodily comfort for a day, not to measure the bed with a ruler. Visiting a monastery, listening to the Dhamma and meditating are also recommended. In essence, lay uposatha means living for a day and a night, in certain respects, the way arahants live all the time.

In practice

You need not wait for a full moon to hold a solitary retreat. The idea travels: set a regular day, or at least an evening, when practice is the main business rather than an appendix to the task list. Digital abstinence, simple food, an extra hour on the cushion, reading and discussing a sutta.

Sīla strengthens noticeably on such a rhythm: the mind, like the body, likes a schedule rather than heroics. And if “one evening without entertainment” causes panic, that is an excellent subject for meditation.