The Supermoon Buddhist Observance

Crystal Quintero, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Ven. Ñanavara Thera and Bhikkhu Kantasilo, Uposatha Sutra: The Lunar Observance (AN 8.41)

Burma's Shitthuang Pagoda, ruins of Mrauk U, Arakhine state (Jon Sheer/Jraptor/flickr)

The brilliant and nearby Supermoon 2014 (Evgeny Yorobe/earthsky.org)

  

Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was residing in Jeta's Grove at the millionaire's monastery, near Savatthi.

At that time the Blessed One, having called all the monastics together, addressed them: "Meditators!" The monastics answered in assent: "Venerable sir!" (They then prepared themselves for the following sutra). The [Buddha] then gave the following teaching on lunar observance days (uposatha).
 
"Meditators, the lunar observance is comprised of eight factors [precepts] that the noble (one entered upon the stages of enlightenment) disciple observes, the observation of which brings glorious and radiant fruit and benefit.
 
"Meditators, what is the lunar observance?"
 
1. "Noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline reflect in this way: 'All enlightened beings (arhats), for as long as life lasts, have given up the intentional taking of life. The club and sword have been laid down. They have shame (of doing evil) and are instead compassionate toward all beings.'
 
"All of you have given up the intentional taking of life, have put down all weapons, are possessed of shame (of doing evil), and are compassionate toward all beings. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the first factor.

 
2. "Meditators, noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline also reflect: 'All arhats, for as long as life lasts, have given up taking what has not been given. They take only what is given, are intent on taking only what is given. They are not thieves. Their behavior is spotless.'
 
"All of you have given up the taking of what has not been given, are ones who do not take what is not given, are intent on taking only what is given, are not thieves. Your behavior is spotless. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the second factor.

3. "Meditators, noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline also reflect: 'All arhats, for as long as life lasts, have given up that which is an obstacle to the Brahma-faring [Brahmacharya, the high life, the pure life, continence, chastity, celibacy]. Their practice is like that of a brahma [a god being]. They are far from sexual intercourse [or any erotic activity for this observance day], which is a practice of lay people.'
 
"All of you have given up that which is an obstacle to the Brahma-faring and behave like a brahma. Your behavior is far from sexual intercourse. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the third factor.

Standing Buddha statue, Thailand, rung by Moon (happySUN/flickr.com)

.

Moon and Sun-faced-Buddha points.

4. "Meditators, noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline also reflect: 'All arhats, for as long as life lasts, have given up false speech [perjury, harsh-, divisive-, or careless-speech]. They utter only the truth and are intent on the truth. Their speech is firm and is composed of reason. Their speech does not waver from that which is a mainstay for the world.'
 
"All of you have given up false speech. You speak only the truth and are intent only on that which is true. Your speech is firm and with reason. Your speech does not waver from that which is a mainstay for the world. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the fourth factor.
 
5. "Meditators, noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline also reflect: 'All arhats, for as long as life lasts, have given up the taking of liquors and intoxicants, of that which intoxicates, causing carelessness (heedlessness). They are far from intoxicants.'
 
"All of you have given up the taking of liquors and intoxicants. You abstain from drink which causes carelessness. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the fifth factor.
 
6. "Meditators, noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline also reflect: 'All arhats, for as long as life lasts, eat at one time only and do not partake of food in the evening. They abstain from food at the 'inappropriate' time."
 
"All of you eat at one time only and do not partake of food in the evening. You abstain from food at the inappropriate time. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the sixth factor.
 

What is a "super" moon? (rednewswire)

7. "Meditators, noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline also reflect: 'All arhats, for as long as life lasts, have given up singing and dancing, the playing of musical instruments, and the watching of entertainments, which are stumbling blocks to that which is wholesome. Nor do they bedeck themselves with ornaments, flowers, or perfume.'
 
"All of you have given up singing and dancing, the playing of musical instruments, and the watching of entertainments, which are stumbling blocks to that which is wholesome. You do not bedeck yourselves with ornaments, flowers, or perfume. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the seventh factor.
 

8. "Meditators, noble disciples in this Dharma and Discipline also reflect: 'All arhats, for as long as life lasts, have given up lying on large or high beds. They are content with low beds or bedding made of grass.'
 
"All of you have given up lying on large or high beds. You are content with low beds or beds made of grass. For all of this day and night, in this manner, you will be known as having followed the arhats, and the lunar observance will have been observed by you. This is the eighth factor.
 
"Meditators, the lunar observance is comprised of these eight factors which the noble disciple observes, and it is of great and glorious fruit and benefit."
 
Thus the Blessed One spoke on the lunar observance. The monastics were delighted and rejoiced at his words.

• Self-Discipline: Cornerstone of the Dharma

Placebo? Mind over Muscle at Harvard

Wisdom Quarterly; Alia Crum, Ellen Langer (Harvard), Psychological Science (18, 2: 165-171)

(Chauncey McDermott) Mind over matter: "You can do it, Duffy Moon!"

Mind-Set Matters: Exercise and the Placebo Effect
ABSTRACT—In a study testing whether the relationship between exercise and health is moderated by one’s mindset, 84 female room attendants working in seven different hotels were measured on physiological health variables affected by exercise. Those in the informed condition were told that the work they do (cleaning hotel rooms) is good exercise and satisfies the Surgeon General’s recommendations for an active lifestyle. Examples of how their work was exercise were provided. Subjects in the control group were not given this information. Although actual behavior did not change, 4 weeks after the intervention, the informed group perceived themselves to be getting significantly more exercise than before. As a result, compared with the control group, they showed a decrease in weight, blood pressure, body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index. These results support the hypothesis that exercise affects health in part or in whole via the placebo effect.

Shhhh. These are just sugar pills.

The placebo effect is any effect that is not attributed to an actual pharmaceutical drug or remedy, but rather is attributed to the individual’s mind-set (mindless beliefs and expectations).

The therapeutic benefit of the placebo effect is so widely accepted that accounting for it has become a standard in clinical drug trials to distinguish pharmaceutical effects from the placebo effect and the placebo effect from other possible confounding factors, including spontaneous remission and the natural history of the condition (Benson & McCallie, 1979; Brody, 1980; Nesbitt Shanor, 1999; Spiro, 1986). Kirsh and Sapirstein (1998), in a meta-analysis of 2,318 clinical drug trials for antidepressant medication, found that [only] a quarter (25.16%) of the patients’ responses were due to the actual drug effect, another quarter (23.87%) were due to the natural history of depression, and half (50.97%) were due to the placebo effect.

Scholar Shelly Brown: "Bridging science and religion" (news.harvard.edu)

  

Powerful love medicine (glucose, FD&C red)

The placebo effect extends much further than medications or therapy: Subjects exposed to fake poison ivy developed real rashes (Blakeslee, 1998), people imbibing placebo caffeine experienced increased motor performance and heart rate (and other effects congruent with the subjects’ beliefs and not with the pharmacological effects of caffeine; Kirsch & Sapirstein, 1998), and patients given anesthesia and a fake knee operation experienced reduced pain and swelling in their ‘‘healed’’ tendons and ligaments (Blakeslee, 1998). More generally, studies suggest that 60 to 90% of drugs and other therapies prescribed by physicians depend on the placebo effect for their effectiveness (Benson & Freedman, 1996; Nesbitt Shanor, 1999).

The placebo effect does not have to involve inert pills or sham procedures. Symbols, beliefs, and expectations can elicit powerful physiological occurrences, both positive and negative (Hahn & Kleinman, 1983; Roberts, Kewman, & Mercie, 1993).

Prof. Ellen Langer, Harvard University

For example, the mere presence of a doctor increases patients’ blood pressure (the ‘‘white coat effect’’), reinterpreting pain in nonthreatening ways (e.g., as sensations) prompts patients to take fewer sedatives and leave the hospital sooner; and the health decline of cancer patients often has less to do with the actual course of the illness and more to do with their negative expectations regarding the disease (Langer, 1989).

EXERCISE AND THE PLACEBO EFFECT
As the most common health threats are now infectious rather than chronic, remedies have also changed. Doctors now prescribe behavioral changes such as exercise for chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. We wondered whether the well-known benefits of exercise are in whole or in part the result of the placebo effect. A positive finding would speak to the potentially powerful... More

Autumn Festival: story behind the cakes (sutra)

CC Liu, Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Zen Vuong (Pasadena Star-News); Pacific Asia Museum

The glorious harvest moon refulgent with yin energy (donnalewisconan)

  

Father and son make lantern

The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates harvest, family reunions, and hope for another year of good fortune.

Some believe the celebration’s roots originated from the Chinese rebellion against the Mongols, who detested moon cakes. The Chinese rebel leader, Zhu Yuanzhang, had a hard time organizing a coup because large gatherings were outlawed, reports ChinaTravel.com. So the rebels baked a slip of paper into moon cakes. It ordered insurgents to attack on the 15th day of the 8th lunar year. Thus the Chinese eat moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival to celebrate this successful overthrow.
  

Tea with dense, sickly sweet cakes.

Thanksgiving [means] the centerpiece for this Chinese and Vietnamese harvest celebration doesn’t include a bulky dead bird. During Zhongqiu Jie, or the Mid-Autumn Festival, people give family, friends, and colleagues moon cakes, a small but filling pastry embossed with a description of its innards or the name of a bakery. Others have patterns of clouds, the moon, or a rabbit [a lucky symbol of the moon]....

 

“It’s almost like a Christmas fruitcake. It’s a traditional gift...,” said Becky Sun, a Pacific Asia Museum spokeswoman. “Adult children give them to parents and seniors. Friends and business partners give them to each other...” More 

The Miserly Treasurer

Ken and Visakha Kawasaki (trans), Illisa Rebirth Tale (Jataka 78)

The miser didn't enjoy his riches either

This story was told by the Buddha while at Jetavana Grove about a tremendously rich royal treasurer.

He lived in a town called Sakkara near the city of Rajagaha and had been so tightfisted that he never gave away even the tiniest drop of oil that could be picked up with a blade of grass. Worse than that, he wouldn't even use that minuscule amount of oil for his own satisfaction. His vast wealth was actually of no use to him, to his family, or to the deserving people of the land.

 

Moggallana, however, led this miser and his wife to Jetavana, where they served a great meal of cakes to the Buddha and a large number of monastics. After hearing words of thanks from the Buddha, the royal treasurer and his wife attained stream-entry.

That evening the monastics gathered together in the Hall of Truth. "How great is the power of Ven. Moggallana!" they said. "In a moment he converted the miser to charity, brought him to Jetavana, and made possible his attainment. How remarkable is the elder!" While they were talking, the Buddha entered and inquired as to the subject of their discussion.

 

When they told him, the Buddha replied, "This is not the first time, monastics, that Moggallana has converted this miserly treasurer. In previous days too the elder taught him how deeds and their effects are linked together." Then the Buddha told this story of the past [past life].

 

The best cake is raw vegan berry cheesecake California-style (TheRawtarian.com)

 

Long, long ago, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benaresaranasi, there was a treasurer named Illisa who was worth 80 crores of wealth. This man had all the defects possible in a person. He was lame and hunchbacked, and he had a squint; he was a confirmed miser, never giving away any of his fortune to others, yet never enjoying it himself either.

 

Interestingly enough, however, for seven generations back his ancestors had been bountiful, giving freely of their best. When this treasurer inherited the family riches, he broke that tradition and began hoarding his wealth.

 

One day, as he was returning from an audience with the king, he saw a weary peasant sitting on a bench and drinking a mug of cheap liquor with great gusto. The sight made the treasurer thirsty for a drink of liquor himself, but he thought, "If I drink, others will want to drink with me. That would mean a ruinous expense!" The more he tried to suppress his thirst, the stronger the craving grew.

 

The effort to overcome his thirst made him as yellow as old cotton. He became thinner and thinner until the veins stood out on his emaciated frame. After a few days, still unable to forget about the liquor, he went into his room and lay down, hugging his bed. His wife came in, rubbed his back, and asked, "Husband, what is wrong?" "Nothing," he answered. More