Blue Super Moon: Buddhist Observance Day

CBS News;A. Ajasa, Wash Po, 8/29/23; Dhr. Seven, DK, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Blue super moon rises over capital of world, L.A., CA (artist's rendition with summer snow)

"The super blue moon arrives Aug. 31," says WSJ, but Wed. is Aug. 30, so look on Aug. 30

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Buddhist Lunar Observance Day

Sky watchers wanting to see a "once in a blue moon" event should look up on Wednesday night.

The super blue moon spectacle that night will be the third-largest moon that has appeared to date this year — nearing the end of the four-part supermoon series.

Who knew that the phrase “once in a blue moon” had ties to real astronomy? It means "something that happens rarely" — like blue moons (a second full moon in the same month) gracing our skies. That's not so rare, but blue super moon is.

Watch live as it happens, too zoomed in with nothing for perspective

• Blue supermoon: See photos of the rare moon that won't happen again until 2037 (msn.com)
• When to see the ‘super blue moon’ rise, 2023’s biggest and brightest (forbes.com)
• Saturn will also be visible as a bright star very close to Luna/Chandra, our moon

James Hubble Telescope sending first images

A super blue moon occurs when a second super moon rises in a single month. The last time a super blue moon appeared was Jan. 31, 2018, and the next won’t occur until Jan. 31, 2037, according to NASA Ambassador Tony Rice [who will be the same man to pretend to meet ETs for the first time when they decide to go public after a long and very drawn-out Disclosure Process.]

Disclosure w/ Dr. Greer, MD (gaia.com)

“Blue moons happen every two to three years. Supermoons happen several times per year. But those two concepts only intersect rarely,” Ambassador Rice said.

Before the spectacle begins, here’s everything one needs to know: When and where can to see the super blue moon?

• Like every other night, look up to see the moon. It's that shiny round thing, that "wandering star."
• On Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, it’ll be extra visible because it is a SUPER moon, which means it's closer and brighter.
• Luckily for everyone, the show isn’t a location-dependent display, [though it does help to be on the surface rather than inside the Hollow Earth]. More
• Blue Super Moon in UK tonight: How to see rare phenomenon from own window (Mirror)

Buddhist Lunar Observance Day (uposatha)

An Uposatha Day is the lunar Buddhist Day of Observance, in existence since before the Buddha's time (600 BCE), being kept to this day by Buddhist practitioners.

The historical Shakyamuni ("Sage of the Scythians") Buddha taught that the Uposatha Day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind/heart," resulting in inner calm and joy.

On this day, lay and monastic members of the spiritual community (Sangha) intensify their practice, deepen their knowledge, and express communal commitment through millennia-old acts of lay-monastic reciprocity.

On these days, lay Buddhists make a conscious effort to keep Eight Precepts or Ten (rather than the Five Precepts observed every other day of the year). It is a day for practicing the Buddha's Teaching, or Dharma, meditating, studying, hearing the Dharma, staying overnight at a temple or monastic complex. 

• Special Full Moon Observance Days

How to observe the day

Why do Buddhists care what the moon is doing? It's Earth's calendar, marking Uposatha Days.

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This is the universal Buddhist Flag

Depending on the culture and time period, Uposatha ("Sabbath") Days have been observed from two to six days each lunar month on a phase of the moon (quarter, half, three-quarter, and full moon days), about once a week in the Theravada tradition. More

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Eight is a popular color like the Eightfold Path

The Eight Precepts (Pali aṭṭha-sīla or Sanskrit aṣhṭāṇga-śīla) are observed by lay Buddhists on observance days and festivals.

1. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from taking life.
2. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from taking what is not given.
3. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from unchastity.
4. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from false speech.
5. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from consuming intoxicants that occasion heedlessness.
6. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from taking food at the wrong time [before dawn or after noon].
7. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from dancing, music, visiting unsuitable shows, flower adornments, make up, the wearing of ornaments and beautifications.
8. I undertake [to observe] the rule to abstain from tall, high beds and seats.

Coming to the pagoda at the temple complex

These include the five general precepts -- refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, perjury, intoxicants -- and three more specific ones. The Ten Precepts divides one of these into two and adds not handling money (gold and silver).

This tradition of keeping the Eight Precepts for observance days is still widely practice in all Theravada Buddhist countries and communities worldwide, as they follow the teachings of the historical Buddha.

This weekly observance is based on pre-Buddhist wandering ascetic (sāmaṇa, shramana) practices (Pali uposatha or posaha, Sanskrit upavasatha or poṣadha). In this context the vows are one-day precepts.

They are considered an excellent support for meditation (calm and insight) practices and are often observed when staying in monasteries or temples.

In some periods (such as retreats) and places (such as temples), the precepts were widely observed, as was the case in 7th–10th-century China by government officials [1].

In modern times, there have been revival movements and important political figures that have observed them continuously. More