by Robert Wilkinson
We are taught that a Full Moon represents a potentially enlightened state, where the Moon, which represents form, perfectly reflects the greater light of the Sun. It marks a time when the seed state of the New Moon begins to become fully actualized. The Full Moon of Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio is special in a major way, since for millennia it has been celebrated as emblematic of the birth and enlightenment Moon of the Buddha, said to be the first human to fully transcend suffering attaining full enlightenment, then return to the world to teach the truths he found.
The Wesak is said to be the 2nd of the "Three High Moons" of Spring, anchoring the outpouring of life into forms of awareness that can help us transcend suffering as well. This year is special, in that we have 2 Full Moons in Taurus/Scorpio.
The first one falls this Sunday at 1 degree of Taurus/Scorpio and occurs on Passover (to mix metaphors), April 20, at 3:25 am PDT, which is 6:25 am EDT, 11:25 am Greenwich Daylight Time, and assuming daylight time is observed, 1:25 pm in Istanbul, 4:55 pm in India, and 9:25 pm in Melbourne Australia.
The second Full Moon of Taurus/Scorpio falls at 30 degrees on Victoria Day, May 19, at 7:11 pm PDT, which is 10:11 pm EDT, 3:11 am May 20 Greenwich Daylight Time, with the same time differentials mentioned in the previous paragraph. Some groups around the world are celebrating on April 20, while others are celebrating in May. I plan to celebrate both days as extraordinarily special, since these two Full Moons in Taurus/Scorpio won't happen again until 2027.
An explanation of this celebration follows. Each year the Wesak Festival is celebrated at the Full Moon of Taurus-Scorpio in May. This global festival celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and teachings of the Buddha, said to be the most enlightened human ever to walk this planet. He taught the doctrine of compassion and the ways to end suffering around 500 BC, and his teachings have spread through the entire world since then. This is the largest spiritual celebration in the world, and has nothing to do with religion, since the Buddha was focused on how to live, not what to believe.
It is said that the Wesak Festival (usually the Full Moon of May, but this year is different due to the doubled influence) is when the Gautama Siddhartha, known to history as the Buddha, “opens the treasure chest” and sends out a new global energy of compassion to end suffering every year. Supposedly when He left the Earth plane, his blessing for all time was a thought-form of “Buddha Nature,” which would renew the loving-compassion on the Earth whenever it was sent forth. This is the time when it renews itself for another year.
As a friend of the site offered in a previous discussion, on a deeper, more spiritual level it is said that every Wesak the Buddha actually briefly descends from the Heavens to return to that secret valley in the Himalayas known as Shamballa. There, surrounded by the Adepts, Disciples and others, he pours out an annual blessing for all sentient beings on this planet.
He taught the 4 Noble Truths about life on Earth, and the 8 Fold Path as a way to live to end suffering for ourselves and others. While this is not the forum for an exhaustive discussion of the 4 Noble Truths and the 8-fold Path, if you haven't already seen it, (and even if you have!), please get a copy of "Little Buddha" to know more about the life of this most amazing man for the ages.His life and teachings were dedicated to shine a light on the Way beyond suffering.
Though there are many ways his teachings have been stated and interpreted, anyone who actually practices the techniques will in fact find they are lessening suffering in their lives, and finding peace in a higher way of doing their Being. To quote HH Dalai Lama, “There is one thing we can all agree on. More suffering is bad. Less suffering is good.” This is the time of the renewal of energies that can lead all of us to less suffering in our life, and maybe be of service in lessening the suffering of others we know.
I was asked to comment about the "Three High Moons" of which the Wesak Full Moon is the 2nd of the 3. The so-called "Three High Moons" of Spring relate to the teachings of the Tibetan Master D.K. Briefly, they are the three Full Moons of Spring each year when the life force reawakens, is poured out, and refined into a higher vision and understanding by the World Teacher.
The Full Moon of Aries-Libra is the awakening of Nature Herself, with life blooming everywhere there is a living process occurring. The Full Moon of Taurus-Scorpio is the Wesak, the anchoring of the awakened life force in a form of compassion that will lessen suffering for all Earth's creatures for the next year. The Full Moon of Gemini-Sagittarius is said to be the "Christfest" where the World Teacher takes the new outpouring and through multiplication and distribution, spreads the teaching in infinitely varied ways according to local conditions.
So these next days meditate, open, feel the global compassion becoming stronger and more evident, and purify your life and consciousness however you need to in order to open to the timeless truths offered long ago by the one who set the pattern for the Ages. A Happy Buddha Birthday to you all, and may you all find a form of Buddha nature which increases your wisdom and compassion throughout the next year!
For more information on the April celebrations, you can check out Lucis Trust, which is doing it globally on April 20, as are Souldout and some other organizations.
For more information on the May celebrations at Mt. Shasta and in Germany, you can go to the websites for the Mt. Shasta gathering or to Wesak Festival Deutschland.
There are other organizations celebrating one or the other, of course, so by all means celebrate whichever one that calls, or both. It's all good. Aum Mani Padme Hum!!
© Copyright 2008 Robert Wilkinson
http://www.aquariuspapers.com/
www.holisticfeathers.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment