Mid-Autumn Fest, Hsi Lai, Los Angeles

Who possesses Buddha-nature?

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Like Guanyin, Moon Goddess Chang'e shines.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, held in the month of September, is a community event that inspires mindfulness and reflection as friends and family gather together.

In keeping with Taiwanese and Chinese cultural tradition, treats such as rice ball desserts and yummy mooncakes are offered to the community.

Often, the youth make paper lanterns to adorn the festivities of the event or perform musical performances for the Buddhist community.

I am a lotus ready to bloom here and now.

As everyone contributes in some way to the event, both generosity and gratefulness can be observed in action.

Under the West Coast's bright full moon for the Mid-Autumn Festival, we often reflect on our own bright intrinsic Buddha-nature -- an inherent purity and perfection of the heart/mind. Similar to how sometimes the light of the Moon is hidden behind clouds, our own difficulties and hardships can sometimes obscure our intrinsic (and fundamentally good) nature.

Buddhist nuns sit under moon with American visitors for tea in courtyard of massive LA temple

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Our Buddha-nature will shine through

It is through right-practice and right-mindfulness that we can dispel the dark clouds from our own minds/hearts and reveal the full splendor of our Buddha-nature, our innate capacity to attain enlightenment (bodhi) and liberation (nirvana), awakening to the great ultimate truths of existence.

"Coming West" (Hsi Lai) Temple welcomes all to share in this reflection while spending time with family and friends and visiting this nunnery and monastic complex during this month. More: Hsi Lai Temple

• Hsi Lai Calendar of Events
• Coming West Temple Programs
• Hsi Lai Vegetarian Food and Toy Drive
• Magical Lantern Festival at Coming West

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  Like a lotus, I can blossom in mud.

  The Tathāgatagarbha Sūtras use the image of a Buddha (a fully awakened being) inside a lotus flower as a metaphor for the tathāgatagarbha: Sanskrit तथागतगर्भ, buddha-dhātu, sugata-garbha, buddha-garbha  (a "womb for a buddha," us realizing our intrisnic Buddha-nature as human beings in this world that seems so far from budhhahood). The term Tathāgata-garbha can mean "the womb" or "embryo"... More
• Hsi Lai Temple (hsilai.org/en); CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

TrayLor Trash: TNT, Taylor 'n Travis marry

LIVE coverage from the AP (Ass' Press)

LIVE: (Associated Press) Guest attend Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce's wedding at MSG, New York

(LiveNOW from FOX) Taylor "Nazi Barbie" Swift and Travis "Knucklehead" Kelce are married

Look at me, everybody!!!

OMG! It's really happening! Nazi Princess TayTay Swift-Swift is marrying handsome, rugged, and rich Trav Kelce! America will never be the same! Take that, England, with your dumb royal weddings and bill balls. All patriotic Americans will yawn and be kept up late by illegal fireworks for the nuptials or some holiday tomorrow. Who can say?

All this banging scaring the pets, and Attention Whur's Tay and Trav (or as we've dubbed them "Tray and Lor" or "Trailer," trash Madison Square Garden and) suck all the oxygen out of the nation with their big, fat, Greek god wedding.

I win! I'm best! Everyone's jealous!

Not since Led Zeppelin trashed MSG to film their The Song Remains the Same live album has the venue seen so much recorded action.

Good luck and best wishes to the couple! Take some time off, Taylor! You should relax, not make music for a long time, spend your billions. Thanks for the $26 mil in write-off donations! The commoners will eat tonight and survive another day on this green earth. Thank you! Whatever your motive, it's good to give! Even a bad motive is somewhat counter-weighed by a good gift. Giving makes everyone richer, now the recipient, in time the giver.

What's her BEST song?

(Bart Baker) Taylor Swift: "I Knew You Were Trouble" (mean satirical parody)

No, really, what's the poet trying to say?

(Taylor Swift Corporation) Taylor Swift "I Knew You Were Trouble"

Song dedication for the lovely bride!

(Old Man's Child - Topic) "Black Seeds on Virgin Soil" When we hear Taylor, we think OMC

What must ALL the girls think of Taylor?

(Jennifer Wood) Blondie "Rip Her to Shreds" lyrics on screen video

(Atomic Video Jukebox) Blondie "Rip Her To Shreds" (music video)

TrayLor Trash Numerology: Gematria?

(E! News) English teacher and excellent poet marries gym teacher in star-studded spectacle

• Taylor Swift wedding dress details revealed: Has she been dropping hints about it?! (Perez Hilton)
• '90s supermodel Stella Tennant dies suddenly days after 50th birthday
• Has Taylor Swift lost the plot? Exploiting fans, feuding with CharliXCX, AI allegations
• (TYT Sports) Perv Larry David gets brutally honest about American MAGA Princess Taylor's wedding at MSG
• Entertainment Tonight; Associated Press; LiveNOW from FOX; Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY

UCLA research on Easter Island finds meaning

We have degrees in looking good in bikinis!

Scientists believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of some of the Moai stone monoliths found on Rapa Nui, better known to Westerners as "Easter Island." Here’s the truth [so far].

Here’s what readers will learn when reading this story: Scientists believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of some of the Moai (giant stone statues) stone monoliths found on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

• The scientists analyzed soil in the vicinity of two of the Moai statues and found traces of banana, taro, and sweet potato, according to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
• These traces indicate the statues could have been used to celebrate the crop fertility of soils in the region.
• The famed stone monoliths that tower over the island of Rapa Nui—colloquially known as Easter Island—have puzzled scientists for centuries.
• But archeologists and soil scientists studying the ancient Moai now believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of the famous statues.
• Clues in nearby soils suggest the statues may have been placed there to celebrate the fertility of crops in the area.

Remote island research is the best kind of work

For more than three decades, Jo Ann Van Tilburg of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) has studied the origins of the Moai along with Rapanui artist Cristián Arévalo Pakarati and other members of the local community.

They recruited soil scientist Sarah Sherwood, of the University of the South in Tennessee, to analyze the soil the base of two statues found peculiarly perched upright in the Rano Raraku quarry on the eastern part of the island, where most of the more than 1,000 Moai statues originated.

Moai create energy field around Easter Island

(The scientists suspect that work in the quarry began around A.D. 1455). The team analyzed soils at the foot of two of the structures, which archeologists believe were erected by or before A.D. 1510 to A.D. 1645, and found chemical evidence of common food crops.

The soils revealed traces of foods like taro, banana, and sweet potato, according to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. More

• Archaeologists found Ramesses II statue in part

New Year Sacred Ceremonies (12/27)

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  Come to a conscious yoga party!

  10th Annual New Year Sacred Ceremony, Fundraiser, and Veggie Potluck with Stella Han
• KINSHIP STUDIOS kinshipyoga.com
• Highland Park, Northeast Los Angeles
• Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, 6:00-10:00 pm
• Room: Studio B
• Register here: Kinship Studios

Event: Tenth annual New Year Sacred Ceremony (yoga fundraiser for girls, veggie potluck, and gift-giving blanket Native American tradition). Social, potluck, gift-giving blanket price: $25 in advance, $33 day of event.

Beneficiary: Fundraising proceeds will be donated to Yoga Gives Back (YGB), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers women and children in India through education and micro-loans.

• Learn more: yogagivesback.org hosted by Yogini Stella Han, MSW
• In the Valley? Come to the Vegan Winter Solstice Party and Candlelight Ritual for Animals, Saturday night, Dec 27, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup

ABOUT: Join us for Kinship Yoga’s beloved annual year-end gathering to honor what we are releasing and welcome what we are inviting in. We do this through community, intention setting, and celebration with live music and activities, plus a vegan/vegetarian potluck to share with all -- and lots of gifts.

All fundraising proceeds are donated to Yoga Gives Back (YGB)!

Event Schedule and Flow

• 6:00 pm–7:45 pm: Sacred Ceremony - a contemplative space honoring the interconnectedness of all life, with culturally respectful observances and shared intentions for peace and renewal in the year ahead.
• Smudging with Sage – cleanse and ground as we begin.
• Guided Journaling – reflect on the past year and set clear, heart-aligned intentions.
• Sacred Chanting – unite our voices and cultivate collective harmony for the New Year.
• 7:45–10:00 pm: Gift-Giving Blanket, Fundraiser, and Veggie (vegan/vegetarian) Potluck Gift-Giving Blanket – inspired by Native American traditions. Bring one or more new or gently used (mindful) items to place on the blanket, then select a gift someone else has offered. (No purchase necessary—and re-gifting is highly encouraged!

ALL ARE WELCOME—whether or not you're bringing a gift, come to receive.

Fundraiser for Yoga Gives Back

– How? We’ll host a small silent auction and raffle gift certificates. Anyone can also donate monetarily by Venmo: @stella_han_yoga. (Please note “Yoga Gives Back” or “YGB” + your email and phone; this info is visible only to Stella Han). Cash/checks accepted on site. For checks, please write: “Yoga Gives Back.”

Veggie Potluck (optional)

I have to choose what I wear very carefully.

If you’d like to contribute a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free dish, please email Stella (coordinator) at email stellaheartyoga@gmail.com or come with the dish's name and all ingredients on a small card. All dishes must be vegetarian or preferably vegan (purely plant based). Please include a small ingredient card for transparency (noting any potential allergens. It's appreciated by the health conscious). Potluck contributors will receive 2 raffle tickets—so please let the host know when arriving with one.

What to Wear?

Yoga pants and gear are fine. Or dress warmly and comfortably. Festive or spiritual white attire is welcome (optional) as we gather to set intentions for the New Year.

Questions? Please contact Stella Han by email (stellaheartyoga@gmail.com) or call the studio or send through the Wisdom Quarterly messaging system.

Second party option (FREE)

All are cordially invited to our festive holiday party to celebrate the winter solstice with good cheer and join a candlelight ritual to bring light to animals suffering in dark places around the globe. The ritual includes devotional chanting with Devi Daly as sacred witnessing and an expression of compassion. As the shortest day and longest night of the year, the solstice symbolizes rebirth, renewal, and the return of the light. May our lights usher in a new era of inner peace and peace for all beings! It's a vegan potluck, too. Calabasas, in the San Fernando Valley More

• Vegan Spirituality Online Gathering (every other month, January, March, etc.), Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 5:00 PM | Meetup
• Yogihantas, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B., Araceli, Veronica, Cody (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

'Buddhist Lent' ends w/ Kathina (10/25-26)

FREE. All welcome. (N. Hollywood)

For the entire month following the Rains Retreat or Vassa, the super meritorious Kathina ceremony is performed at Theravada Buddhist temples (viharas) across Buddhist countries. Los Angeles has countless Buddhist temples from all parts of the world -- on par with the most concentrated number of different Buddhist temples on earth, Bodh Gaya ("Enlightenment Grove"), Bihar, India. But that is an anomaly with spiritual embassies sent from around the Buddhist world (Buddhadom) and only tiny communities to look after them or receive visitors during the high season when weather allows. Los Angeles, however, has Buddhist communities from all over the world and not all of them with their own temples yet built. This week, beginning Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, the Sarathchandra Buddhist Vihara of North Hollywood, has all night paritta chanting. This is with its Mexican American monk (bhikkhu), Ven. Los Angeles Sanatha Vihari Bhikkhu. Their larger Kathina ceremony is on Sunday, with hundreds in attendance, providing free food and dana (charitable support) to the resident and visiting Theravada Buddhist monks. FREE. Wear white as is the Sri Lankan island custom. Lunch and refreshments served. There is also a big Burmese celebration in the San Gabriel Valley on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025:

Burmese Theravada tradition: Pa Auk Tawya, L.A.

The most meritorious giving for lay Buddhists

Buddhism and dana made it to ancient Greece in Gandhara, Bactria, and other outposts.

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Kathina is a Theravada Buddhist festival that comes at the end of the Rains Retreat or "Buddhist Lent" (Vas or Vassa), the three-month rainy season intensive practice period for Theravada Buddhists in South and Southeast Asia:

• Burma (Myanmar)
• Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
• Thailand (Siam)
• India
• Bangladesh (where it is known as Kaṭhina Cībar Dān)
• Cambodia
• Laos
• Vietnam
• Malaysia
• Singapore [2][3].

The Rainy Season during which a monastery may hold its culminating Kathina ceremony is one month long, beginning after the full moon of the 11th month on the Lunar calendar (usually October).

(DIMC) Kathina Chairperson Joy Muriel, Dhammakaya, Thailand

It is a time of practicing letting go, generosity, giving, sharing (dana, donating), a time for lay Buddhists to express gratitude and support to Buddhist monastics (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis) [4][5].

Lay practitioners bring donations (requisites such as robes, food, medicines, necessities) to Buddhist monasteries, nunneries, and temples, especially premade new robes or cotton cloth and dyes for monastics to sew new patchwork robes.

(Global Buddhist Stories) Kathina: A Story About Buddhist Robes

The gift of the Eight Requisites [6] (aṭṭha parikkhārā or atapirikara in Sri Lanka) is also part of the offerings [2][4][5].

Origins at the time of the Buddha

Kaṭhina (also Kaṭina) is a Pali word referring to the sturdy wooden frame used to measure the length and width by which Buddhist monastic robes are cut [7].

(Sravasti Abbey) The significance of the Kathina ceremony, 2016

As the legend goes, 30 monks were journeying with the intention of spending the Rains (Vassa) with the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) [2]. However, the Rains began before they reached their destination and they had to stop at Saketa [2][8].

According to the Buddha's guidelines for Vassa, mendicant (wandering ascetic) monastics should not travel during the rainy season, as this may cause unintentionally harm to crops and insects during the journey [9]. This is an ancient custom that preceded the Buddha but to which the Buddha agreed.

(Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary) Westerner Ven. Ariyadhammika

SBS: Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia

Rains Retreat schedule 2025 (LABV)

As such, wandering Buddhist monastics had to stop [2][8]. They passed their time together without conflict, intensively practicing the Dhamma (the Buddha's Teachings). So afterwards, the Buddha rewarded them by demonstrating a way to practice sharing and generosity.

A lay Buddhist disciple had previously donated pieces of cotton cloth to the Buddha, so he gave these pieces to the group of monks and told them to make it into a sturdy outer robe then offer it as a gift to the one of them who had practiced most in line with the monastic rules.

The frame, called the Kathina, was used to hold those pieces while they were being made into one robe [2][8]. This ancient tradition continues to this day in Theravada monasteries and nunneries around the world. More

• Kathina Ceremony Oct. 18-19, 2025
• All-night paritta chanting on 18th
• Food, festivities, and procession on 19th
• Mindfulness Meditation Center
• (626) 731-8105
• Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara (LABV)
• 1023 N. Glendora Ave., Covina, CA 91724

• The Kathina Ceremony 2010: Scoop (DMC TV, Thailand)
• Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Bangkok, Thailand
• Lễ đón nhận y Kathina do Nhà vua Thái Lan dâng cúng| Giác Ngộ Online (Vietnam)
• Buddhism Reflections; DIMC; Buddhist Global Stories; Sravasti Abbey; Bhante, Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Ego Death by toad venom? (Bufo DMT)

Buddhist psychedelic artist Alex Grey (WQ) understands this altered state of consciousness!

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This is more real than ordinary consciousness.

(VICE) Twenty times stronger than DMT: The Spirit Molecule, "Bufo" (5-MeO-DMT), is hiding in the venom of the Sonoran toad -- but it is also synthesized and harms no amphibian whatsoever. Mother Earth and Father Tech have provided it.

The ego is an illusion, so is Ego Death good?

I, the Homunculus, AM what I feel and what I think within MY body and mind.

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Ego death is a "complete loss of subjective self-identity" [1]. The term is used in various intertwined contexts, with related meanings. Psychologist William James, a 19th-century philosopher, uses the synonymous term "self-surrender."

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  Descartes on the body's pineal gland

  [This is the literal meaning of Islam and the Muslim follower's attitude towards the one God Allah, and it is the yogi's merging with "GOD," where or godhead/godhood is the Atman merging or uniting with Brahman, the "ultimate reality" in Hinduism and in different terms in Mahayana Buddhism. And it stands to reason that in Christianity of all kinds, it is the attitude of a soul to what Christians would regard as "God," to be "Christed" or "anointed with Chrism," not figuratively and symbolically in the reenactment of a ritual but in the sense of the pineal gland producing endogenous DMT that floods the system, which is the power of entheogenic substances like amrita, amata, ambrosia and perhaps soma.]

Wow, they hid the truth!

DMT: Toad of Awakening? Bufo Alvarius (Bufo)

Sacred Secret: It happens to pineal glands monthly

Is this why lunar cycles and calendars are important?

Peter goes to Meg's school to bust Bufo fad

Jungian psychology uses the synonymous term psychic death, referring to a fundamental transformation of the psyche ("soul") [2].

In death and rebirth mythology, ego death is a phase of self-surrender and transition [3][4][5][6], as described later by Joseph Campbell in his research on the mythology of the Hero's Journey [3].

It is a recurrent theme in world mythology and is also used as a metaphor in some strands of contemporary Western thinking [6]. More

• VICE; Wise Quotes Sacred Secret; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Native Sand Mandalas Create Portals

These are the portals that allow the Holy People to be among us.

• Navajo Traditional Teachings
• NavajoTraditionalTeachings.com
• Are Native sandpaintings Buddhist sand mandalas?
• Xochitl, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Prayer for Earth Altadena Mural (July 27)

Large scale mural art to raise awareness about wildlife

FREE art, vegan food, and community to save the planet and all Earth's inhabitants!

HELP: Ekaterina Sky's Altadena Mural (tilted on its side)

FULL PROJECT OVERVIEW

You're invited: Prayer for the Earth – A Community Mural in Altadena

Join us in creating a powerful mural that brings our community together for healing, remembrance, and reconnection with Nature, especially in the wake of the recent Eaton and Palisades Fires.

This is a four-day community art build, and you’re welcome to join for one day or all of them:

Alex Grey would like it.

• Thursday, July 24 (4:00–9:00 PM), wall building and assembly
• Friday, July 25 (starts at 3:00 PM), base painting begins and evening design mapping
• Saturday, July 26 (all day or about 11:00 am to 9:00 pm), taping and background painting
• Sunday, July 27 (3:00–9:00 PM), prayer writing, sealing with gold, and a community celebration (with vegan potluck).
• RSVP: partiful.com/e/MS6y8u2DAFrgzoX2v0Bz

DONATIONS:

• https://donorbox.org/impact-art

RSVP ON MEETUP:

• (Disclosure Project) HELP WANTED creating healing mural for Altadena Fire (with artist Ekaterina Sky), Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 11:00 AM | Meetup
• (PasaDharma) hELP WANTED to create healing mural for Altadena Fire (Artist Ekaterina Sky), Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 11:00 AM | Meetup
• (Nature Center) HELP WANTED to create healing mural after Altadena Fire w/ artist Ekaterina Sky, Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 11:00 AM | Meetup

LOCATION:

• 34.185159, -118.132053
• Behind former Oh Happy Day Vegan Café in Altadena and Rhythms of the Village (across street from Grocery Outlet)
• (Enter driveway on E Mendocino St., behind Jack in the Box)

Prayer: FULL PROJECT OVERVIEW

This project was initiated through the invitation of John Hopkins Oh Happy Day Café and Grocery. Together, we’re building something that honors grief, invites hope, and reminds us of our deep connection to one another and the Earth.

This is for you if you care about Altadena, the planet, or the power of collective healing.

No experience needed — just bring your presence. Whether you come to build, paint, write a prayer, or simply witness, you’re welcome.

Supported by:

• LA Climate Week @climatedesignersla
• Collidescope Foundation @laclimateweek
• Climate Designers LA @collidescopefoundation
• Plant Based Treaty @plantbasedtreatyla @plantbasedtreaty
• Soul Force Project @soulforceproject
• Support + Feed @supportandfeed
• Veggie Grill @veggiegrill
• (Plus @ganahllumberco @fairoaksburger @graphenstone)

Let’s make something beautiful together.

Ekaterina Sky - Impact Artist - Muralist (@ekaterina.sky.art) • Instagram

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Let’s gather. Let’s honor what’s been lost. Let’s paint something that carries our prayers into the future.

• RSVP: partiful.com/e/MS6y8u2DAFrgzoX2v0Bz

With love and care,

Ekaterina Sky (FULL PROJECT OVERVIEW)

Visual Artist & Facilitator of Prayer for the Earth