Frank:	khâo phānsǎ mī kwāmmǎi yàngrāi khrâp	เข้าพรรษามีความหมาย อย่างไรครับ	What is the meaning of Buddhist Lent?
Phra Ǎ:	pràphēnī nú rôem māchàk sàmǎi phráphâttháchâo	ประเพณีนี้เริ่มมาจากสมัย พระพุทธเจ้า	Lent originated in Buddha’s time.
	sàmǎi nán  phrá dōenthāng pāimā dûay thāngdōentháo tām thóngnā chûang nânā	สมัยนั้น พระเดินทางไปมา ด้วยทางเดินเท้าตามท้องนา ช่วงหน้านา	At that time, monks wandered along footpaths that crossed rice paddies during the rainy season.
	bāngkhráng phrá àt thāmhâi phûetphǒn sǐahǎi dâi	บางครั้ง  พระอาจทำให้พืชผล เสียหายได้	(Because) Sometimes monks could damage their crops.
Frank:	láew yāng-ngāi khráp	แล้วยังไงครับ	So?
Phra A:	phráphâttháchâo jūeng hěn wâ nāi chûang nâfǒn phrá mâi khūan dōenthāng láe khūan yù pràchām thâ wát	พระพุทธเจ้าจึงเห็นว่าในช่วง หน้าฝนพระไม่ควรเดินทาง และควรอยู่ประจำที่วัด	Buddha then decided that monks should not travel and should stay in temples during the rainy season.
Frank:	nān thâorài khráp	นานเท่าไรครับ	How long is that?
Phra A:	sǎm dūan tàlōt nâfǒn	สามเดือนตลอดหน้าฝน	Three months – the whole rainy season.
Frank:	thīen lèm yài yài nân āo wái thām àrāi khráp	เทียนเล่มใหญ่ๆ นั้นเอาไว้ ทำอะไรครับ	And what is that huge candle for?
Phra A:	ǒ  khǎo ríakwâ thīenphānsǎ chà chùt wái tàlòt phānsǎ	อ๋อ! เขาเรียกว่าเทียนพรรษา จะจุดไว้ตลอดพรรษา	That? It’s called ‘The Lent Candle’. It stays lit all through Lent.
Frank:	chùt wái thāmmāi rǒe khráp	จุดไว้ทำไมเหรอครับ	What is it lit for?
Phra A:	phrá kô sùeksǎ khāmsǒn khǒng phráphâttháchâo kàp thīen nâ làe tōn khâophānsǎ	พระก็ศึกษาคำสอนของ พระพุทธเจ้ากับเทียนนี้แหละ ตอนเข้าพรรษา	Monks use these candles while they study Buddha’s teachings during Lent.
Frank:	phǒm khâochāi láeo  wát thām thīan ēng rǔe khráp	ผมเข้าใจแล้ว วัดทำเทียนเอง หรือครับ	I see! Do temples produce their own candles?
Phra A:	mâichâi  chāobân chà nām mā thàwǎi thûk pī	ไม่ใช่ ชาวบ้านจะนำมาถวาย ทุกปี	No, laypeople offer them to the temples every year.

Language watch: Word Formation: Both syllables in ‘nânā’, ‘farming season’, offer another good example for practicing the tones. In terms of word formation, the first ‘n⒠means “season, face, page or front”, and the second one means ‘a field’. In this lesson, we’re focusing on the first meaning, season. The syllable ‘n⒠meaning ‘season’ is often added with another word to form a new word, i.e., nâfǒn — the rainy season, summer; nâláeng — the dry season; nâthúrīan — the durian season. Don’t confuse this ‘nânā’ with the now-famous name for Soi 4 Sukhumvit – Soi Nana, which you will often here when riding the skytrain. Soi Nana is not related to the words season, face or field, but is the name of a big and well-known family, and its tone is: nānā. Here is a small practice activity for you. How would you say the following phrases in Thai? 1. the hot season =           2. the cold season = 3. the mango season =      4. the fruit season =   Answer key: nâráwn  2.nânǎo 3. nâmámûang 4. nâphǒnlámái

---

This lesson was prepared by Acharn Sunee Siidao, Educational Specialist.

Back to our home page

Read our other phuut phaasaa Thai columns here.

| Comments to Ajaan Sunee at suneec@bangkokpost.co.th |
| © The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd.
All rights reserved 2006
Last modified: July 10, 2006 |

Welcome back to a new adaptation of Phût Phāsǎ Thāi after our transitional Songkran break. As per the valued suggestions of our readers, the transliterations now follow the Royal Institute's system (http://www.royin.go.th/th/profile/index.php), which includes tone markers. In terms of content, the column will continue to provide you with everyday language on specific topics.

๑๑ karakkadakhom ๒๕๔๙   ( 11 July 2006)

Phût phāsǎ Thai Buddhist Lent / wānkhâophānsǎ A procession of beautifully carved candles to mark the beginning of Buddhist Lent.— BUNRUEANG Today marks the beginning of Buddhist Lent - the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month. The retreat ends on the full moon day of the eleventh lunar month. The origin of this tradition varies from country to country. The Buddhism textbook I used in school had a very understandable explanation for the present-day practice, which is much the same as the version detailed by the Venerable Dhammasami of London. If you would like to know more about him, see http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/dmsambio.htm . It goes like this: People complained to Buddha that Buddhist monks damaged crops and plants while traveling during rainy months. This was because monks used footpaths that crossed vegetable and rice fields. Buddha then encouraged the monks to stay in one place during the rainy months, generally in their temples. Monks used their time to reflect on Buddhist teachings, to practise meditation, and to help one another in their practice. The monks used candles in their many months of meditations and teachings. Also during this time, many Buddhist lay people reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking. For laypeople, candles have become a symbol of the Buddhist commitment and are presented to temples and kept burning throughout Lent. One of the most elaborate ceremonies in Thailand is the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival. The conversation this week is about the origin and the significance of Buddhist Lent.