• by Dawn King • A terrible beast called Nian lived under the Mountain, and sometimes was seen swimming in the nearby sea. Annually, it caused the villagers who lived in that area to be ill, their children to disappear, or fire to break out among the houses. When the villagers were particularly frightened one year, an old monk appeared and said he would help them while they lay hidden from the monster.
The wise monk found Nian and tricked the monster when it was about to eat him. “What would that prove?” the monk shouted. “I am not dangerous. But if you ate all the poisonous snakes, and dangerous beasts in the area, you would then be known to be Great.” While Nian was busy eating, the old monk put red papers on doors throughout the village and set off firecrackers during the night. The beast, who hated loud noise and the color red, was never seen again! This legend and tradition has endured. [Traditional red envelopes are shown in the starting photo].
Thus, each Spring Festival or Chinese New Year begins its 15-day celebration that ends with the full Moon. It starts on the new Moon that appears between January 21 and February 20th. 2025, Year of the Snake, embodies resourcefulness, self-reliance, and determination. In view of world events, we have to admit that we are living in extraordinary times.
For the past 40 years or so, it has been said that an old Chinese curse was: May you live in interesting times! Interesting times are times of turmoil, upsetting the ordinary pace of a peaceful life. When Dr. Ho Yong was asked about the origin of this phrase, he stated: I speculate that whoever it was who first coined it attempted to give the expression a mystique, and so decided to attribute it to the Chinese. …Confucius, endeavoring to give his opinions and teachings greater gravity and acceptance, once stated, “I do not create; I merely pass on the wisdom of those who have gone before.”
How do we best cope while interesting times pummeling our attention and thoughts? Paramahansa Yogananda shares: The habit of being inwardly in the calm presence of God must be developed, so that day and night that consciousness will remain steadfast. It is worth the effort; for to live in the consciousness of God is to be done with enslavement to disease, suffering, and fear. Just be with God, that is the be-all and end-all of life.… One who finds within themself that “secret place of the most High” becomes suffused with supreme happiness and divine security.”… When one is kicking and splashing about in the water, there is little consciousness of the ocean itself, but of the struggle. But when one lets go and relaxes, the body floats; it feels in its buoyancy the whole sea lapping around it. That is the way the calm devotee feels God, with the whole universe of Divine Happiness rocking gently beneath their consciousness.
•by Dawn King•[Photo: an Asian Autumn Festival] •On September 22, in the Northern Hemisphere we will be starting the season of Fall. What difference does that make in our daily lives? Most noticeably since mid June 21, days are getting shorter and nights longer. In fact September 22 gives us equal days and nights, which is why that date is called the Autumnal Equinox. Some cultures start their calendar year with this celestial phenomena. Some of the Earth-orbiting satellites will experience repeated interruptions of operations for a few days during and around the equinox due to the Earth’s shadow preventing continuous communications.
What you and I need with our own divine selves are “continuous communications.” Although it may be a very busy time with calls for parties and shopping (think Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), Fall leads us toward the more introspective months of Winter. It’s a time when we especially need to be mindful of staying centered…maintaining a consciousness of Spirit here and now.
Each day when we meditate (hopefully morning and evening if only for 5 minutes each time) we are focused on what is most important—taking care of ourselves. Maybe we focus on breathing and find stress dissolving. Perhaps we feel gratitude while reflecting on the positives in our life. In this quiet space we can distance ourselves from difficulties, and strengthen ourselves with affirmations. And when we meditate deeply we find a healing peace and joy fills us.
Let’s not feel obligated to participate in activities that don’t serve us. You have choices! As Fall begins, set parameters for yourself on what you want this season to look and feel like for you. Choose wisely what you do, and what you offer to do for others. Keep long-term effects and outcomes in mind. Uplifting thoughts and actions will elevate the holidays, and beyond. Letting go of annoyances and ignoring obstacles will help you stay centered.
“Taking life seriously does not mean spending our whole lives meditating in a cave. In the modern world we have to work and earn our living, but we need not live without any view of the deeper meaning of life. Our task is to strike a balance, to find a middle way, to learn not to overstretch ourselves with extraneous activities and preoccupations, but to simplify our lives. In Buddhism, discipline is to do what is appropriate or just. The key to finding a happy balance is simplicity. It is one thing to set out on the spiritual journey. It’s quite another to find the patience and endurance, the wisdom, courage, and humility to follow it to the end.” – Sogyal Rinpoche
•by James Kelleher•Author of 2 books on Vedic Astrology, James gives us a glimpse into the focused mind of a deep meditator.
At the moment we are passing through Dwapara Yuga, an age which is characterized by the growth of science and technology. Dwapara Yuga began around the time that the printing press was invented, when science and technology started to develop more rapidly.
The ancient seers had an amazing ability to use astrology to shed light on the events and trends of our world. They not only mapped out the ups and downs of civilization, but also described larger periods (Yugas) that coincided with universal trends of creation and destruction. They had an expanding and contracting model of our universe, and they believed that the universe was several billion years old. Not bad for a bunch of Yogis sitting in caves around 10,000 years ago.
How did they even come up with such sophisticated ideas that are very close to modern concepts of the universe? The answer to that is called “direct knowledge.” The nature of the mind is pure silence and pure knowledge. All one has to do is to simply experience the pure, silent nature of the mind, and any knowledge can be revealed directly.
It sounds easy, but it’s easier said than done. Our minds are filled with restless chaotic thoughts, and we are constantly distracted with various desires. Our modern world doesn’t help! In ancient times, Yogis spent long periods in deep meditation. Their total focus and fascination was with their inner experience. Instead of getting a PhD in engineering, they got a PhD in the science of their own minds. The result was the ability to access knowledge without reading books and without speculation and theory. They got their knowledge directly from the Source. That’s why we call them Seers.
You too can be a Yogi and experience the silence within your own mind. All you have to do is learn to meditate. Meditation is something anyone can do. It is simple, natural, and delivers a state of rest to the body that is deeper than your deepest sleep. It releases stress and has a wide range of physiological and psychological benefits. It might not make you a Seer overnight, but it can certainly improve your intuition. So why don’t more people do it? Beats me! Maybe it’s because there isn’t an app for it yet. But I’m sure that will simply be a matter of time.
Each year a special full moon occurs in May. If there are 2 full moons, it is the second of these and declared the celebration of Wesak, or Buddha’s commemoration. The name Wesak is derived from the Sanskrit name for this particular month.
Buddhist temples, decorated with the appropriate flags and flowers, are visited before dawn. Hymns are sung to celebrate the Buddha, his teachings (the Dharma), and his disciples (the Sangha). Processions with candles light up the evening.
During Buddha’s life, he told his followers to commemorate his life by living his teachings of compassion, peace, and good will, and by devotion to the service of humanity. Thus, at this time Buddhists give extra energy to performing noble deeds: observing vegetarian diet; offering donations of money and food to people and charity organizations in need; there are blood drives; and wild animals are released back into nature.
Buddha was born in 623 B.C. in India. It is believed that he attained enlightenment during the full moon in May, and that his final liberation from this material world was on the same day. Buddha’s birthday is also celebrated as being on this day by his millions of followers.
Buddha gained enlightenment while meditating under a tree (Ficus religiosa), called peepalin India. It has heart-shaped leaves, and is used medicinally. This kind of tree is said to live over 1500 years. A cutting from the original Bodhi tree was planted in Sri Lanka and is claimed to be over 2200 years old. In Burma, during Wesak, Bodhitrees are watered to ensure their survival through a dry summer.
Sunburst residents and visitors enjoyed a joyous, and relaxing weekend celebrating Music and Nature. It was fueled throughout by wonderful organic vegetarian meals. Events included devotional music in the Temple, a group hike through the woods to a vista, fireside sing-along, labyrinth walk, group meditation, and a Medicine Wheel ceremony. Enjoy the photos.
• by Dawn King – photos by April Juels & Dawn King • After many months of Covid restrictions, Sunburst hosted a well-attended Kriya I Retreat (May 12 through 15). Sunburst’s Kriya II retreat is planned for October. Call the Sunburst office if you’re interested, or want to reserve your place in the next Kriya I retreat, January 2023.
Spring has blessed the Sanctuary with normal rains. Flowers gardens are blooming and Sunburst members are revitalizing the produce garden.
Deer can be seen caring for their fawns. Bluebirds are in abundance, and the hay field is growing daily. Each Sunday, 10:30 a.m. group meditation is followed by refreshments and fellowship, offering wonderful opportunities for enjoying the beauty of Sunburst Sanctuary and those who attend.
