Āshaḍha Pūrṇima is the second most important sacred day of observance for Buddhists after Vaishakha Buddha Pūrṇima. It commemorates Buddha's First Sermon - Dhammacakka Pavattana Sutta (Pāli) or Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra (Sanskrit). Seven weeks after his enlightenment, he gave the discourse to pañcavargiya - the five former ascetic disciples- at the 'Deer Park', Ṛṣipatana Mrigadāya in the current day Sarnath, in Varanasi, UP, India. It is also popularly known as the First Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma. It was here that the Buddha preached the Middle Path: avoiding the two extremes, i.e., life of extreme ease on one side and the life of penance on the other. He discussed the Middle Path, the essence of which is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Paths or the Path of Ś īla, Samā dhi and Prajn͂ a.
The day is also aptly observed as Guru Pūrṇima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their Gurus. Buddhists observe Uposatha, i.e., to observe eight precepts and meditate under the guidance of their teachers. For the monks and nuns, the Rainy Season retreat i.e. "Varśhā Vāsa" also starts with this day lasting for three lunar months from July to October, during which they remain in a single place, generally in their temples dedicated to intensive meditation. During this period, Buddhists and lay people generally serve the Sangha in temples.
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