KATHINA:
At the conclusion of the three-month rainy retreat, another important Buddhist ceremony - the Kathina - is held in Theravada Buddhist temples. Malaysian Buddhists of Chinese descent who follow the Theravada tradition, together with their fellow Sri Lankan, Thai and Burmese Buddhists, regard this ceremony as one of the most important events in the Buddhist calendar and celebrate it with reverence. To them, the Bhikkhus who have completed their retreat are worthy of their offerings, worthy of their hospitaiu> worthy of receiving their gifts, worthy of reverential salutation, and indeed they constitute
in incomparable field of merits to the world t'lhuneyyo, pdhuneyyo, dakkhineyyo, anjali i.'iraniyo, anuttaram, punnakkhetam lokassa).
They highly value this opportunity, once a year, to show their respect in some sort of offering, each Within his own means. Thus, they usually offer offer a gift of yellow or orange cloth to be sewn into robes called Kathina-chivara. Other necessities required by the bhikkhus in the temples are also offered. Sometimes, in certain temples, a particular lay-devotee undertakes to sponsor the whole kathina ceremony by bearing all the costs involved. However, this does not preclude other devotees from participation in the ceremony in some way or other, lest the lone-devotee sponsor may be assumed to have not understood the danger of emphasis on the self, or the I. The firm belief among the Chinese Buddhists is that whatever is offered to the Bhikkhu-Sangha14 on this occasion is considered, in point of merit, productive of the highest good.
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