What's So Great About the Moon?

Buddhism is often described as a finger pointing at the moon according to Alan Watts. He goes on to elaborate that so are the teachings of Jesus, Mohammed, and any spiritual person who has graced this earth within recent history. The trap that plagued too many people was the worship of the finger, and in that the grace of the moon was ignored for further ornamentation of the hand. I remember my first confession to this day. I knew I was supposed to have something to say to the priest, but I couldn't think of anything! After all, how could an 8-year-old truly commit a sin? So, I made something up, said my Our Father's and Hail Mary's, and got out of there. However, had I truly sinned against someone, whether that's coveting their spouse or robbing them of their possessions, in what way does prayer absolve me of my wrong doing? How has prayer made penance with those who were actually harmed? You see it's the trap of worshiping the hand, while the moon still hangs over head.

It is this that plagues our current state of affairs, whether that's in our life, or on a macro scale. We put out fires instead of prevent them. The way of preventing them is through spiritual practice. Listen to the words of holy people, without the restrictions of the dogma associated with their religions. They are all saying the same thing, treat the living well, and live in generosity. Trust that what's going on has a way of working itself out. See that experiences are not bad because they are difficult, but opportunities to learn something new, or a push in a different direction. Watch the moon as it lovingly pulls the tides, so that nutrients can circulate and sea creatures can eat. When we see that all is exactly as it is meant to be, then and only then, we can finally be happy. 

This was a guest blog from one of our coaches DiegoAndreas, if you want to see more of his content check out his blog at: www.wonderingintomyself.com