Lunar Eclipse & Buddha’s Birthday!

Click here to listen to today’s Daily Power Prayer for Grateful Release!:

Today is a very auspicious day in many traditions and it’s a great day to make prayers of gratitude.  My beautiful teacher and mentor, Venerable Dhyani Ywahoo teaches in my Masterful Living Class once a month and yesterday she shared with us some beautiful practices – you can learn more and listen to an excerpt of her teaching here: Venerable Dhyani Ywahoo.  Venerable Dhyani, like me, is Cherokee, and she is a Chief.  She is also a highly esteemed Buddhist teacher as well as the most awakened person I’ve ever met.  Venerable teaches so clearly how to awaken from the dream of separation and live a beautiful life of contribution and joy.

I will be going to study with Venerable Dhyani in Vermont in July and if you read down further on the page of this link, you can learn more – perhaps you’ll join us!

One of the four great festival days in the Tibetan Tradition, Saga Dawa commemorates Buddha’s Enlightenment at the age of 35, and his Parinirvana (passing from this world), after 45 years of teaching the Dharma. In his last sermon, Buddha encouraged his disciples to diligently seek the truth and not to hold on to that which is impermanent. It’s believed that on this day the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied 10 million times.  WOW!!!!!! This is a wonderful day to invest making prayers and offerings in gratitude, reciting sutras and doing practices dedicated to the benefit of all beings.  Multiply the blessings!!

Also today, we are having a Full Moon, in case you didn’t notice!  This afternoon (in north America)  we’re experiencing a lunar eclipse.  In traditional cultures, full moon is a time of releasing – today let us amplify the let go of that which no longer serves us and step up to gratitude as never before.  My dear friend, astrologer Michael Lennox has written a beautiful insight for us – here’s an excerpt:

“This Full Moon is in Sagittarius, the archetype that rules all the elements of higher knowledge and spiritual principles.  So this is a perfect opportunity to up your game with regard to your spiritual practice.  The Full Moon sheds light on all of your magnificence, so use this opportunity to claim your brilliance in the light, NOW!  Know that you are a perfect, divine expression of the all-that-there-is.  Know too, that everything you desire can be yours if you recognize that you already have it and that there is nothing outside of you to want or long for.  When you live in this place, the world can not help but shower you with riches.

To take advantage of this eclipse moment, do your best to be in quiet contemplation between 1:00 and 1:30pm (Los Angeles time).  If you want to prepare your left brain for this process, you might make a list of everything you are grateful for and all that which you want to accomplish in the coming months.  Be still, be quiet and be open. The Universe will take care of the rest.”  To read the whole story – click here to visit Michael’s blog

The Buddha said, “life is suffering.” The Dalai Lama said, “Suffering is Optional.” These two statement might seem incongruent, but they are in perfect alignment. We awaken from the dream of suffering and remember our unlimited, unprecedented nature when we learn to focus on Love. Love IS wisdom. Wisdom IS Love.  We live in an infinite field of blessings.  We are unlimited.  Today, let us give thanks that no matter how far from Truth we have strayed, there are so many reminders.  We are awakening from the dream of suffering together and the fellowship is magnificent!  Namaste to all!  Please share your blessings today in prayers of gratitude!