This is another activity held during the Yipeng Festival. Making Dhamma by having it transcribed onto palm leaves or the occasion of one's birthday or month or year can result in prosperity and enhancing one's fate and wisdom. It is equal in measure to the merit of extending Buddhism to as many as 5,000 years. A Lanna saying about this is: "Anyone who is not successful with saving up and multiplying his wealth should make this Dhamma Chata which can make him prosper". In the past the person who wished to make this kind of offering had to engage a former novice (nane) or a former monk (nan) to inscribe the Dhamma in Lanna characters (tua tham) onto a set of palm leaves. After that, the inscription would be rubbed with black powder or soot scraped from the bottoms of cooking pots to make the inscription clearer. The leaves were stacked up together and secured with a cotton string (sai yang). At the approach of the Buddhist Lent or Yipeng Festival, they would wrap the scripture with a piece of cloth and give it to a temple. Some advice concerning this kind of sacrifice offering is as follows:
Based on Thawi Khueankaeo (1998, 209-211)
Dhamma Chatta for a Birthday
Day
Dhamma
Sunday
Sangkhini
Monday
Wiphangkha
Tuesday
Thatukatha
Wednesday
Phukkhonpanyatti
Thursday
Khatawatthu
Friday
Yamaka
Saturday
Mahapattatham
Dhamma Chata for Birth Month
Month
Dhamma
Kiang (Ai) October
Sutthana or Pathomkap
Yi (Song) or November
Chatthan or Pathumkuman
Third month of December
Mattakunthali or Mahosot
Fourth month or January
Hongphakham or Phurithat
Fifth month or February
Utthara or Purisat
Sixth month or March
Phutthakosa or Temiya
Seventh month or April
Arinthum or Temirat
Eighth month or May
Naratha or Sitthat
Ninth month or June
Phutthaphisak or Thotsipchat
Tenth month or July
Thammachak or Suwansam
Eleventh month or August
Phuthanipphan or Vessantara
Twelfth month or September
Mangkharasut or Somphamit
Dhamma for Birth Year
Year
Dhamma
Chai – Mouse
Temiya
Pao – Bull
Vessantara
Yi – Tiger
Sutthanu
Mao – Rabbit
Nemirat
Si – Big Serpent
Somphamit
Sai – Small Serpent
Phurithat
Sanga – Horse
Suthon
Met – Goat
Changchatthan
San – Monkey
Mahosot
Rao – Cock
Sitthat
Set – dog
Kutdarat
Khai – Elephant
Sutthasom
In the Lanna calendar an elephant is used instead of a pig to be the zodiac symbol of the 12th year.
The popularity of this kind of sacrifice offering in the old days is evident from the number of scripture towers that house this kind of scripture. And at the end of each set of Dhamma scripture the name of the dedicator or devotee appeared saying something like the following:
"Because of the faith of Mr. Kham and Mrs. Kaeo and their children, they have engaged in the making of this set of Dhamma to sustain the Buddhist religion to last for 5,000 years more. May they be blessed with the highest kinds of happiness, nirvana being the ultimate goal.
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