The reason why Buddha established the An cư method and the meaning of An cư kiết hạ. During three months of pure practice of the path to cross the river of delusion and the sea of ​​suffering, to step onto the shore of enlightenment, above to repay the four heavy favors, below to save the suffering of the three evil realms and to benefit all living beings - to repay the Buddha's grace. A. Introduction: Summer comes, summer goes, summer returns, the cicadas chirp to say goodbye, the lotus flowers rise above the water, bloom, and give off a pure, sweet fragrance, the first rains of the season signal the An cư kiết hạ season has come to many souls for the sake of the Dharma, for themselves, for the future of the Buddhists all over the world in particular and all over Vietnam in general, all joyfully and excitedly, based on the Vinaya Pitaka established by the Buddha Shakyamuni, all monks and nuns must gather in a suitable place, practice the Three Pure Studies: "Precepts - Concentration - Wisdom." During the three months of pure practice, the monk aims to cross the river of delusion and the sea of ​​suffering, to step onto the shore of enlightenment, above repaying the four heavy favors, below saving the suffering of the three evil realms, and benefiting all living beings - repaying the Buddha's grace. The Summer Retreat is a method of building a community of monks to advance towards the attainment of enlightenment, helping everyone to live happily and peacefully through acts of compassion, wisdom, and self-training to achieve precepts, concentration, and wisdom, setting a good example of a beautiful life. The Summer Retreat is a means to overcome conditions to develop the capacity of monks to advance towards the spirit of self-awareness, awakening others, living according to the rules of the Zen sect, in harmony, unity, and purity to strengthen the Sangha, and promote the Dharma for the benefit of all living beings. The Summer Retreat is also an opportunity to discover many factors, outstanding in talent, virtue, especially in dignity and conduct, of each student, which will serve as the basic provisions to adorn the church for their own benefit. 02 B. Content: In the Four-Part Vinaya, it is recorded that: The Buddha established the Rains Retreat for the Bhikkhus when he was staying in Savatthi, in the garden of Anathapindika, residing in Kosala. The reason for establishing this dharma was because of the complaints of lay people towards the group of 6 Bhikkhus, also known as: (Six-group Bhikkhus). This group of 6 Bhikkhus often traveled in the world continuously for a year. When the rainy season came, countless insects sprouted everywhere, and they trampled and killed countless insects. Buddhist lay people complained that the non-Buddhist monks still had 3 fixed months in one place every year to practice, even animals and birds knew how to make nests to take shelter during the rainy season, let alone the Sakya monks, disciples of the Tathagata, who did not know how to rest during the rainy season, but instead traveled everywhere to beg for alms at any time of the year. This matter spread to the Buddha's ears, and he reprimanded the group of 6 monks for breaking the precepts and affecting the Buddha's Sangha. At that time, the Buddha immediately established that every year, during the 3 months of the rainy season, the ordained disciples of the Buddha had to stay in seclusion for 3 months to avoid trampling on plants and insects... to restrain the body and mind and cultivate: Precepts-Concentration-Wisdom.That is why during the nine months of the year of traveling to teach and convert, the monks and nuns are not allowed to travel outside for the remaining three months, but must stay in one place for three months to practice meditation, cultivate precepts, concentration and wisdom, and live together in harmony and purity. However, if there is an urgent and necessary matter, they are only allowed to leave their residence for no more than seven days and then must return to continue their retreat. That is the origin of "An cư Kiết hạ." 1. The meaning of An cư: An means peace, cu means to stay in one place. In Sanskrit, it is Varsa, An cư means to stay in one place, not to live here or there, meaning: (to be confined to establish the boundary of the An cư). During the three months, from the 16th of the 4th lunar month to the 15th of the 7th lunar month, the Sangha must stay in one place, making an effort to meditate and cultivate pure precepts. Except for matters related to the Three Jewels, parents and the Sangha are not allowed to leave the boundary without permission. An cư is also called toa ha, toa lap or kiet ha. The book Nghiep so volume 04 says: "A peaceful body and mind is called An, a time to stay in one place is called Cu." An cư is a practical work of the Sangha, showing compassion for living beings and forming the foundation for the practice of lay Buddhists. It is a suitable time for lay Buddhists to practice virtue and make offerings. Comparing the Indian calendar and the Chinese calendar, that time starts from the full moon day, which is the 16th day of the 6th lunar month, until the 15th day of the 9th lunar month. This An cư Kiet ha time is still respected by monks in countries following the Southern Buddhist tradition: Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Ai Lao and Sri Lanka to this day. But when Buddhism was introduced to China, the An Cu season was set from the full moon day of the 16th day of the 4th lunar month (that is, after Buddha's birthday) to the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, which is Vu Lan festival. This is the tradition of Northern Buddhism: China, Vietnam, Japan and Korea. At the end of the An Cu season, the monks gather to review the results, perform the Bodhisattva repentance ceremony and declare completion. This day is called Tu Tu day, which is applied to both Southern and Northern Buddhist traditions. Southern monks hold Tu Tu ceremony on September 15 and Northern monks and nuns hold it on July 15 of the lunar calendar every year. According to the spirit of the Vinaya, every year when the An Cu Kiet Ha season comes, monks and nuns must find a suitable place to enter the rainy season, this place is called Truong Ha. However, if there is no summer school or the summer school is far away, the place of residence can be a temple, a monastery, a hermitage, or any other suitable place. In temples with only four monks, performing the yaksha to establish the boundary and to observe the three-month retreat is considered lawful by the Buddha. In temples in remote areas where a monk cannot go to a summer school or to a temple with more than three monks to observe the three-month retreat together, he will observe the retreat at his own temple by performing the method of “Mindful Recollection of the Retreat”. This method is applied in cases where there are only one, two, or three monks in the temple. They face the Buddha Hall,If we recite the Rains Retreat vow three times, then the Rains Retreat is also in accordance with the Buddha's Dharma. Once we have decided on a place to stay, we must stay there and not leave that place for three months, except in cases stipulated by the Vinaya, such as when our parents or teachers are seriously ill or have passed away, or when there is an important Sangha matter, or when a donor invites us to do necessary Buddhist work, then the Bhikkhu entering the Rains Retreat must ask for permission to temporarily leave the Rains Retreat residence. However, in reality, the practice of the Sangha in the Rains Retreat is not limited to the fact that traveling causes harm to insects and plants that thrive during the Rains Retreat. Referring to the Sutras, we will see that the Rains Retreat has other purposes than that. In addition, the Rains Retreat has another important meaning. It is a manifestation of the spirit of living together in harmony of the Sangha community in a residence. This is clearly seen in the Four-Part Vinaya. At that time, the Buddha was staying in Savatthi, in the Anathapindika Park. After the three-month rainy season retreat, a large number of monks from Kosala came to visit him. The Buddha, as usual, asked them how their lives had been during the three-month retreat. They told him about their daily activities. Accordingly, these monks agreed with each other during the entire rainy season that no one would talk to anyone about anything. If there were any necessary matters that required help from another, they were only allowed to use signs but not to speak. This activity also often occurred among groups of monks and the most well-known was the group of three monks of the Sakya clan, including Venerable Ananda, Venerable Nandi, and Venerable Kimpila. The monks sometimes stayed at Batna Nansa, sometimes at Sa Ke De, and were always praised by the Buddha. But in the case of these monks in Kosala, instead of being praised, they were reprimanded by the Buddha. He said that these monks were foolish people, living together like that was suffering but thinking it was happiness, no different from enemies living together in the same place. The duty of monks living together is to teach each other, point out and encourage each other, and not to live like mute people together. With the same way of life, but in some cases the Buddha praised them, in other cases he reprimanded them, how is that? The Buddha always praised the quiet life of the monks, living away from noisy and bustling places. However, that does not mean that a monk should live separately from the Sangha community. Living together and in harmony in a noble holy life, teaching and encouraging each other, that is the life of the Sangha. The life of a bhikkhu is a homeless life, not permanently fixed in any one place of residence, but the bhikkhus are bound together into a unified community by the Vinaya which they must recite together in harmony every fortnight. And that harmony is reinforced by the three-month retreat during the rainy season. Thus,The rainy season retreat does not simply mean restricting the movement of the Bhikkhus to avoid harming small creatures and young plants. In the history of Buddhism, the rainy season retreat is a positive factor for lay disciples to have favorable conditions to participate in the work of consolidating and developing the Sangha. The pure and harmonious Sangha is a symbol of the concrete vitality of the Dharma that the Buddha taught. It is also a place of solid spiritual support and true faith for lay people living in a chaotic life full of hatred and disputes. A lay Buddhist with pure and clear faith in the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and the Holy World is always recognized with four virtues: - Being close to good people, - Learning the Dharma, - Thinking deeply about newly learned things, and - Practicing what has been contemplated. Of these four virtues, the first virtue is being close to good friends, that is, being close to good friends, people of high moral character. Every year, during the rainy season, when the Bhikkhus temporarily stop at a place of residence, this is the time when lay people have the most suitable conditions to regularly be close to good friends to learn the Dharma. Therefore, they can develop the typical virtues of a lay Buddhist with pure faith in the Dharma. During the time of the Buddha, lay Buddhists, either on their own, if they have enough conditions, or relatives, or people living in the same village or city, cooperated to invite Bhikkhus to stay at their residences for the Rains Retreat, and supported the Bhikkhus with all necessary needs so that they had favorable conditions for practicing during the three months of the rainy season. Buddhist biographies in the Jataka and Nipata literatures often record that many Bhikkhus attained Arahantship during this Rains Retreat, thanks to the support of lay people in their daily needs. A pure and harmonious community, studying and practicing together like milk and water, is indeed a source of faith and hope for people living in the midst of a bustling world, and it proves that the Dharma preached by the Buddha, if practiced completely, will be the basis for a peaceful world. This is what King Pasenadi expressed to the Buddha about his faith in the Dharma taught by the Buddha and practiced completely by his disciples. In short, the origin of the An cư kiết hạ of the Bhikkhus, although simply said to be due to the Buddha following the wishes of the lay disciples, in a profound sense it is the life of the Dharma maintained by the pure and harmonious life of the Sangha community. As long as the Bhikkhus are enthusiastic in their duties of An cư for 3 months, then the Dharma will still be a rich vitality for humanity to take refuge in and build a peaceful world. We should also clearly understand the meaning of the word An cư? An means inner peace,The term of residence is a period of residence for a certain period of time, which according to the precepts is three months. An cu means that the Sangha lives peacefully in a harmonious and pure place to study and practice together, to cultivate precepts, concentration and wisdom after nine months of propagating the Dharma and saving sentient beings. During the three-month period of An cu, the Sangha lives together, lives together in the spirit of the six harmonies, reminds each other of the precepts, and encourages each other. On the final day, that is, on the ninetieth day, the Sangha gathers in a precept field, compares with the precepts they have received, each person examines himself through what he has seen, heard and suspected, and if he sees something wrong, he speaks up himself or asks another Bhikkhu to speak up, then if he sees that he has committed a mistake, he must repent according to the Dharma. After repenting, he immediately becomes pure, and feels at peace in his heart. 2. The meaning of Bodhisattva: The reason why Buddha established Bodhisattva: When Buddha was staying in Rajagriha, Magadha, there were groups of non-Buddhist Brahmins who gathered together in one place to preach and receive offerings from lay disciples. They lived very intimately during those days, the people came to listen to the Dharma, they had faith and admiration. King Bimbisara of Magadha saw the non-Buddhist groups living like that and thought, if the Bhikkhus, disciples of Buddha, also gathered like that, how much happiness would there be for lay Buddhists! Then the king went to where Buddha was staying and presented his thoughts, “Venerable sir, currently non-Buddhist ascetics gather and preach the Dharma on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighth days of every half month. The people come to listen to the Dharma, and they have faith and admiration… or should the venerable ones also gather on such days every half month?” Seeing that the conditions were right, the Buddha accepted the proposal and said: 'Bhikkhus, I allow the gathering on the fourteenth, fifteenth and eighth days of each half-month to perform the Uposatha ceremony.' From then on, the tradition of the Uposatha ceremony has been regularly performed in the Sangha of the Buddha's disciples for many generations. The reason the Buddha stipulated this was because, when the Buddha allowed the recitation of the Pātimokkha, many Bhikkhus arose the thought that we should recite the Pātimokkha every day...three times in the half-month. The Buddha stipulated that the Pātimokkha should not be recited every day...three times in the half-month, whoever recited it would commit a dukkata offense. 'Bhikkhus, I allow the recitation of the Pātimokkha once on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of each half-month. In Sanskrit it is called Upavasatha, in Pali it is called Uposatha, in Chinese it is translated as Bo-sai-tha, Bo-sai-ta-da... abbreviated as Bo-tat. In Chinese it is translated as Tinh tru, Thien tuc, Truong duong. According to the Dharma, for monks, every half month, called the New Moon and New Moon days (on the 14th-15th and 30th of January depending on whether the month is short or full, the Sangha gathers in one place to recite the precepts and sutras, making the monks abide in the pure precepts and increase the good dharma. The lay Buddhists also gather together, accompany the Sangha to listen to the precepts they have received. Thus,Based on the act, it is called preaching the precepts, based on the function of that act, it is called Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is also called "enduring growth", meaning to stop evil and increase good, also called "Nga Duan Theory", meaning to repent one's sins before everyone. Practicing spirituality and protecting the Dharma during the rainy season 01 3. Meaning of Self-confession: Definition of Self-confession: In Sanskrit it is called Pravàrana, in Pali it is called Pavanara, in Chinese it is translated as Bát hòa la, Bát lợi bà Thích noa, translated as "Mận tức", "Hỷ duyet", "Tuy khinh", "Tuy ý su"... The meaning of these words is a request. Here it refers to asking others to point out one's shortcomings. This pointing out is based on three cases: by seeing, hearing and doubting. The purpose of Tu Tu is the same as that of Thuyet Gioi, which is performed on a full moon day, but unlike Thuyet Gioi which is performed on a half-month basis, Tu Tu is performed once a year after three months of An Cu. Tu Tu Day in Vietnam is usually held on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month, the last day of the three months of An Cu Kiet Ha. According to custom, on Tu Tu Day all monks must repent before the great Sangha of the sins they have committed in the three acts of seeing, hearing, and doubting (Kien, Van, Nghi). This repentance will make the Sangha pure, and give rise to joy, so it is called Tu Tu. Although the Sangha has a pure body and mind for three months of An Cu Kiet Ha, and strictly observes the precepts, sometimes they cannot see the mistakes they have made from within, so they must rely on the great Sangha to guide them to see the mistakes within and repent in order to be completely pure. Tu Tu is a common method for all Sangha, the Buddha does not allow Tu Tu to be performed separately. The Sangha must perform the Self-ordination in a spirit of harmony, called: “According to the Dharma, the Self-ordination in harmony.” That is the meaning of the Self-ordination day, the day that ends the retreat. This Self-ordination day is also called the longevity day, meaning that the Sangha is determined to have one more year of religious age, which is the age of Precepts and Wisdom. The ordained always take Precepts and Wisdom as their age, and do not calculate their age according to the years and months of the world. Any Bhikkhu who does not practice the Residence, does not practice the Self-ordination, or practices the Residence but does not practice the Self-ordination, or practices the Self-ordination but does not practice the Residence, is considered to have no religious age. The Vu Lan ceremony is the main part that we discuss in this article, other ceremonies such as the Residence, Self-ordination, Bodhisattva, and Precepts are secondary parts, however, they are related to the practice of lay Buddhists, so they need to be learned. The Vu Lan ceremony is the most practical ceremony for all Buddhists to have the opportunity to show filial piety to their parents. For food and clothing, we work hard all our lives, sometimes we don't have time to take care of our parents. Therefore, let's spend the entire 15th of July taking care of filial piety, holding a vegetarian meal for monks, and praying for our parents. Thanks to the power of the monks, our parents will certainly receive grace and benefit, and their hearts will be opened and they will return to Buddhism. As Buddhists, we cannot help but hold a Vu Lan ceremony to repay our parents' kindness. In addition, all Buddhists and non-Buddhists must wholeheartedly take care of their parents while they are still alive, so as not to regret it like Tu Lo once said:“The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop. The child wants to take care of them but they are no longer here.” If our parents unfortunately pass away, we must always pray to the Triple Gem to help them be reborn in the Pure Land. On July 15, we must hold a vegetarian meal offering ceremony to the monks so that we can pray for our parents through the merit of the monks’ prayers. C. Conclusion: In short, the rainy season is the most important time of the year for the Bhikkhus, where the meaning of studying and practicing in a harmonious and pure environment is most prominent. Each rainy season is a year of the Dharma in the life of a Bhikkhu. This is an extremely important and practical Buddhist activity of the Sangha, demonstrating compassion for all living beings and forming the foundation for the practice of lay Buddhists. This is also a convenient time for lay Buddhists to have the opportunity to get close to the monks and learn the Dharma, and at the same time, it is an opportunity to create human and heavenly blessings by supporting the Sangha during the Rains Retreat. END= NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ). GOLDEN ZEN BUDDHIST MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.6/7/2024.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.