The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (778 page)

; on the next full moon is
s
lha P
j
, celebrating the Buddha's renunciation and First Sermon, and marking the beginning of the three month rain-period (
Vassa
) during which laymen may join the
sa
gha
, and during which the
bhik
us
stay in their monasteries. Mah
y
na adds many local festivals, but most Mah
y
na developments recognize the anniversaries of the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana of the Buddha as separate occasions.
Jainism
Jains have a large calendar (when local celebrations are included) which is complicated by the fact that few festivals are celebrated on the same day by
Digambaras
and
vet
mbaras. An exception is Mah
v