11 MARCH 2012 - CHANDLER, AZ: The Abbot at Wat Pa in Chandler, AZ, collects food in his alms bowl during Makha Bucha day services Sunday. Magha Puja (also spelled Makha Bucha) Day marks the day 2,500 years ago that 1,250 Sangha came spontaneously to see the Buddha who preached to them on the full moon. All of them were "Arhantas" or Enlightened Ones who had been personally ordained by the Buddha. The Buddha gave them the principles of Buddhism, called "The Ovadhapatimokha." Those principles are: to cease from all evil, to do what is good, and to cleanse one's mind. It is one of the most important holy days in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. At the temple, people participate in the "Tum Boon" (making merit by listening to the monk's preaching and giving a donation to the temple), the "Rub Sil" (keeping of the Five Precepts including the abstinence from alcohol and other immoral acts) and the "Tuk Bard" (offering food to the monks in their alms bowls). It is a day for veneration of the Buddha and his teachings. It's a legal holiday in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma). PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ