The Significance of Asalha, Dhamma Day, the day of the Buddha’s First Sermon

Ven.Dhammanandā Mahā Therī
Abbess, Songdhammakalyanī Monastery, Thailand
www.songdhammakalyani.com
Asalha Puja, also known as Dharma Day, is one of Theravada Buddhism's most important festivals, celebrating as it does the Buddha's first sermon, the Sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath,[4] in which he set out to his five former associates the doctrine that had come to him following his enlightenment. This first pivotal sermon, often referred to as “setting into motion the wheel of dhamma,” is the teaching which is encapsulated for Buddhists in the Four Noble Truths: there is suffering (dukkha); suffering is caused by craving (tanha); there is a state (nibbana) beyond suffering and craving; and finally, the way to nirvana is via the Noble Eightfold Path. All the various schools and traditions of Buddhism revolve around this central doctrine.
Guest speakers, Ven. Bhikkhu Brahmali Mahathera, Ven. Bhikkhuni Tathaloka Mahatheri, Ven. Bhikkhuni Santini Mahatheri and Ven. Bhikkhuni Dhammananda Mahatheri.
Organized by the Maha Bodhi Society of India and the United Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha International.