ON the full moon day of Thadingyut, it is commemorated as Abhidhamma Day because the Lord Buddha, after preaching the seven treatises of the Abhidhamma beginning with the story of Santussita Deva — who had once been His mother — in the Tavatimsa celestial realm, concluded His discourse with the Pavāranā ceremony there and then descended to the human world. In the year 109 of the Great Era, on the full moon day of Waso, near the city of Savatthi, the Buddha subdued the heretics and performed the great Twin Miracle, displaying both water and fire in wondrous ways simultaneously. After this miracle, He ascended to the celestial realm of Tavatimsa to repay the gratitude owed to His former mother, who had been reborn as a deva, by delivering the Abhidhamma teachings. The Buddha delivered the Abhidhamma teachings in the heavenly realm for a period of three months and completed them on the full moon day of the Thadingyut. On that very day, the celestial Brahmas descended to the human realm to pay homage. As they descended, people welcomed them by lighting oil lamps and offering illumination. Based on this event, later Buddhists celebrate the Thadingyut festival by lighting lamps and paying respects. Moreover, the full moon day of Thadingyut is also designated and observed as Abhidhamma Day.

In Myanmar, the full moon day of Thadingyut is marked by the Pavāranā ceremony in addition to commemorating the Abhudhamma Day. The meaning of Pavāranā is to invite, exhort, and request. During this ceremony, monks who have completed the Buddhist Lent invite one another by saying, “Venerable, the disciple invites the Sangha. Whether you have observed any faults, heard of any faults, or have any doubts regarding the disciple, please, with compassion, point them out. The faults will be corrected.” In this way, monks voluntarily confess their own faults to others, seeking guidance and admonition, and the event serves as a practice for promoting purity, improvement, and moral development within the Buddhist community.

On the full moon evening of Thadingyut, as the Buddha majestically descends from the celestial realm to the human world under the full moon, devas and humans alike pay homage. From then on, people light oil lamps and lanterns at homes, schools, and pagodas, while lamp-lighting ceremonies are also held at stupas. Festivals such as pagoda fairs, charity fairs, elderly veneration ceremonies, and teacher appreciation events continue to be observed throughout Myanmar to this day.

GNLM