Vice-Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win delivers a speech at the coordination meeting of Leading Committee for Organizing Kathina Robe Offering Ceremony 2021 of SAC of Republic of Union of Myanmar
Nay Pyi Taw October 28
The coordination meeting of the Leading Committee for Organizing the Kathina Robe Offering Ceremony 2021of the State Administration Council of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar was held at the meeting hall of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture in Nay Pyi Taw this afternoon and Patron of the leading committee Vice Chairman of the SAC Deputy Prime Minister attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
Also present at the meeting were Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture U Ko Ko, Chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw Council Dr Maung Maung Naing, deputy ministers Maj-Gen Soe Tint Naing, U Maung Maung Win, U Aye Tun, U Tun Ohn, Brig-Gen Lu Mon, U Thant Sin, Dr Aye Tun, Member of the Nay Pyi Taw Council U Myint Soe, members of the leading committee and sub-committees and officials.
The meeting was opened by reciting Namo Tassa three times.
At the meeting, the Vice-Senior General explained the history of the Kathina robe offering, saying while Buddha was sojourning at Jetavana Monastery in Savatthi, 30 monks from Parveraka were journeying to Savatthi to pay homage to Buddha. When they arrived at Saketa, about 60 yojanas from Savatthi, they
had to enter Visa. When visas expired and they continued their journey, it rained heavily on their way and when they arrived at Savatthi, they had to pay homage to Buddha while wearing robes the were badly stained with mud. As they had made a hard journey, Buddha allowed them to invite donations of Kathina robes and stipulated 10 disciplines concerning the robes. Under the disciplines, monks who enter Vassa at their monasteries during the paravane Vassa period are allowed to invite donations of Kathina robes and to receive five benefits of Kathina, which further allow them not to abide by five disciplines for five months until the full-moon day of Tabaung.
Such significant ceremonies have been held by the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in Nay Pyi Taw since 2012 and the tenth ceremony will be held this year. It was learnt that Aung Sitha Monastery in Pobbathiri Township has been designated as the monastery for the Kathina ceremony this year by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, which has also informed the designation of the relevant presiding Sayadaw.
It was also learnt that the Office of the SAC has formed the leading committee and working committees to hold the ceremony successfully and tasks have been assigned systematically to 11 sub-committees formed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.
A total of 18 Sayadaws including nine Ovardcaria Sayadaws of the Uppatasanti Pagoda Trustees Board, four Sayadaws from Nay Pyi Taw Sangha Nayaka Board and five Sayadaws from the monastery of the ceremony will be invited to the ceremony to offer Kathina robes.
It is necessary to take health measures for alms and betel for Sayadaw and the healthcare sub-committee is required to make preparations to provide
healthcare services immediately if necessary as it is during the outbreak of COVID-19. It is necessary to open clinics of western medicines and traditional medicine in Shanghai Rama halls and to spray disinfectant in the surroundings of Sasana Beikman, Sangha Rama halls and alms hall.
It is also important to arrange places six feet apart from each other in accordance with social distancing rules and to decorate the altar room and the platform for Sangha.
Trees of donations must be arranged beautifully and measures must be taken to convey them to designated places in a timely manner and to transport them to monasteries in accordance with the guideline for prevention and control of COVID-19. As the Kathina robe offering ceremony is a state-level ceremony, it is vital to take systematic measures and to avoid mistakes as relevant committees have skills and experience of the ceremony, which is held every year.
It is also necessary to observe the guidelines for prevention and control of COVID-19 issued by the COVID-19 central committee and the Ministry of Health and emphasis must be placed on security as it is a state-level ceremony.
In conclusion, the Vice-Senior General urged the participants to discuss the preparations made by the leading committee, the working committee and subcommittees at the meeting and to make proper coordination among the committees for the success of the Kathina robe offering ceremony.
Then, the Chairman of the leading committee Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture U Ko Ko reported on the measures taken for the success of the ceremony.
Afterwards, Chairman of the working committee Deputy Minister U Aye Tun reported on tasks to be carried out by the working committee.
Then, officials from alms offering sub-committee, invitation and transportation subcommittee, organizing and preparation sub-committee,
invitation and reception subcommittee, alms preparation and offering sub-committee, donation tree arrangement sub-committees, entertainment sub-committee, newsletter publishing sub-committee, healthcare sub-committee, greening and organizing sub-committee of the ceremony in the precinct of the Uppatansanti Pagoda and security sub-committee reported on the relevant
sector. Deputy ministers Maung Maung Win, Brig-Gen Lu Mon, U Thant Sin and Dr Aye Tun make supplementary reports.
Then, the Vice-Senior General made concluding remarks and the ceremony concluded with a three-time recitation of Buddha cream.