Bon Oum Touk Festival Announcement

Happy Bon Oum Touk Khmer
Ork Om Bok, Sompeah Preah Khae
Bon Daet Preah Tip,

During this precious and traditional Khmer celebration of Bon Oum Touk (boat racing), Ork Ombok Sompeah Preah Khae (offering and worshiping the moon), and Bondaet Preah Tip (lantern festival), Cambodian-American Buddhist Association of Hawaii (CABAH) cordially would like to invite members, guests and general public come to participate this precious occasion.

Date: Sunday, November 25, 2007
Time: 9:30AM to 1:30AM
Location: Address:

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Placement on map is approximate Kealohanui St Waialua, HI 96791 Get Directions * approximate times - 1" class="ref">

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Remarks:

• Bon Oum Touk or boat racing festival of Cambodia, in some historic account said that it has originally been celebrated since the reign of King Jayavarman VII. There are many sculptures on the wall of Bayon temple depicted the festival of this boat racing. Significant remarks of this festival are: to remembrance and admire the powerful force of Khmer navy, to remark the water receding which is flowing from Tonle Sab to the ocean, and to entertain Cambodian farmers after hard work in farms is ended.
• Ork Ombok, Sompeah Preah Khae or offering ritual of the Ombok rice to the moon in order to worship the Bodhisattava (Buddhahood) who legendarily sacrificed His life to feed an old hungry man when He was born as a rabbit. So the sign-like rabbit in the moon that we can see clearly during full moon night is the Buddhistsattava according to Cambodians' traditional belief.
• Bon Bondaet Preah Tip or lantern floating festival is to pay gratitude and thank to the water as well as to worship the Buddha's teeth relic buried in the Naga's land.
  

Bon Chenh Preah Vassa or Buddhist Out of Lent Ceremony

Cambodia-American Buddhist Association (CABAH) and members had cordially organized Bon Chenh Peah Vassa or Buddhist Out of Lent Ceremony in October 7th, BE.2551 or AD. 2007 to earn goodness and prosperity for themselves as well as Buddhism.

Buddhist Out of Lent signifies the continuous celebration for the successful three months practice of Buddhist monks and devoted people who have been staying in one particular place (Aram or Temple) and practiced three Sekha (educations) strictly such as observing precepts (Sila), daily practicing of medition (Samadhi), and cultivating wisdom through theoretical and practical learning (Panna). The celebration has happened since the period of Buddha.

On that day, members were happy. They brought huge of Khmer delicious food and dressed delicate Cambodian traditional cloths. The ceremony started with chanting the mantras (Namaskaa) to worship to the Triple Gem: Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. They repeated and observed the five precepts such as: abstaining themselves from killing being to replace by spreading compassion to all beings, abstaining from stealing to replace by making a right living, abstaining from committing sexual misconduct to replace by concentrating on craving, abstaining from tell lie or using malicious words to replace by telling the truth and using harmonious speech, and abstaining from drinking alcohol or addicting to drugs to replace by developing mindfulness. After that they offered food in the alms-bowl to proken (offer) to the Songha to feed the Sangha as well as to commemorate and dedicate for the deceased relatives as the gratefulness expression.

The ceremony ended with lasting friendliness and satisfied emancipating from their peaceful concentration in the practice of "nothing else more happier than the cultivation of empowering stable peace to our mind". There also collected some pacchai (money) to reserve for further development of progressive future community and to build a Buddhist temple in Hawaii that the congregation is dreaming about.
Members were eating together in the upper floor of Asrom after the monks finished their lunch.

Members were enjoying to exchange each taste and have happily chitchat.