otect them in the world. This is expressed in a Buddhist prayer, "I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take refuge in the Sangha." For those who choose to live their lives as Buddhist monks, the Three Jewels form the center of their daily lives. Prayer, meditation, and other rituals keep them on the Eightfold Path. In the Theravada tradition monks live isolated lives in their monastery retreats, whereas Mahayana monks include service to the larger community as part of their Path. Throughout the Buddhist countries of Asia, holidays are celebrated to commemorate the life and teachings of the Buddha. The Theravada tradition celebrates four days every month as uposatha days (Gaer 59). These are the new moon, the full moon, and the eighth day after each new and full moon (Rice 109). Sermons, prayers, and offerings mark the uposatha day ceremonies. Theravada Buddhists continue the practice of vassa, a three-month retreat during the rainy season, from July to October ( Rice 110). The Buddha himself made this retreat. Many laypeople take a monk's vows for three months, and monks mark their years in the community by the number of vassas they have attended. Three major points in the life of the Buddha are celebrated in all Buddhist countries his birth, Enlightenment, and his death or final Nirvana (Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia). In countries of the Theravada tradition, all three events are celebrated on the same day. This is the full moon of the sixth lunar month, usually falling in April. In Japan and other Mahayana countries, the Buddha's birth is remembered on April 8, his Enlightenment on December 8, and his death on February 15 (Compton Interative Encyclopedia). In China and Japan, with their long traditions of ancestor worship, Buddhists have an All Souls Festival for the dead. This festival has two purposes: to remember the dead and to bring final peace to the spirits of those who have died unburied. Anyon...
