An Uposatha (Pali: uposatha; Sanskrit: Upavasatha) day is a Buddhist day of observance, in existence since the Buddha's time (600 BCE), and still being kept today by Buddhist practitioners. The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind," resulting in inner calm and joy. On this day, both lay and ordained members of the sangha intensify their practice, deepen their knowledge and express communal commitment through millennia-old acts of lay-monastic reciprocity. On these days, the lay followers make a conscious effort to keep the Five Precepts or (as the tradition suggests) the ten precepts. It is a day for practicing the Buddha's teachings and meditation.
Observance days Depending on the culture and time period, uposatha days have been observed from two to six days each lunar month.
Theravada countries In general, Uposatha is observed about once a week in Theravada countries in accordance with the four lunar phases: the new moon, the full moon, and the two quarter moons in between. In some communities, only the new moon and full moon are observed as uposatha days. This reflects the special role assumed by the new moon and the full moon as the two days in a month when monks (and nuns) gather for a recital of their monastic rules. In Burmese Buddhism, Uposatha (called ဥပုသ်နေ့ ubot nei) is observed by more pious Buddhists on the following days: waxing moon (လဆန်း la hsan), full moon (လပြည့်နေ့ la pyei nei), waning moon (လဆုတ် la hsote), and new moon (လကွယ်နေ့ la kwe nei). The most common days of observance are the full moon and the new moon. In precolonial Burma, Uposatha was a legal holiday that was observed primarily in urban areas, where secular activities like business transactions came to a halt. However, since colonial rule, Sunday has replaced Uposatha as the legal day of rest. All major Burmese Buddhist holidays occur on Uposathas, namely Thingyan, the beginning of Vassa (beginning in the full moon of Waso, around July, to the full moon of Thadingyut, around October). During this period, Uposatha is more commonly observed by Buddhists than during the rest of the year. During Uposatha days, Buddhist monks at each monastery assemble and recite the Patimokkha, a concise compilation of the Vinaya.
Mahayana countries In Mahayana countries that use the Chinese calendar, the Uposatha days are observed ten times a month, on the 1st, 8th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 23rd, 24th and final three days of each lunar month. Alternatively, one can only observe Uposatha days six times a month; on the 8th, 14th, 15th, 23rd and final two days of each lunar month. In Japan, these ten days are known as jū sainichi (十斎日, Ten Days of Fasting), while the six day practice is known as roku sainichi (六斎日, Six Days of Fasting).
Names of full moon Uposatha days The Pali names of the uposatha days are based on the Sanskrit names of the nakṣatra (Pali: nakkhatta), the constellations or lunar mansions through which the moon passes within a lunar month.
History The word "Uposatha" derives from the Muluposatha Sutta (AN 3.70), in which a lay woman named Visakha, visited the Lord Buddha and says she is observing the Uposatha day. The Lord Buddha replies that there are different Uposatha days, then proceeds to tell her the correct version of the Uposatha day, the Uposatha of the Noble Disciples.
Practice
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