"Blue Moon" Observance (Uposatha)

BuddhistInsights.com; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

A "blue moon" is a not-so-rare additional full moon, which happens about every 2-3 years.

(Buddhist Insights) American monk Ven. Suddhaso (taking the Three Guides or sarana and the precepts) and earlier this morning Sri Lankan monk Ven. Sumitta from Los Angeles led uposatha or "Eight Precept Lunar Observance" Dhamma (bana) talks at Empty Cloud Monastery, New Jersey (buddhistinsights.com).

• Rare Blue Moon of Aug. 22, 2021 rises tonight (space.com)

What is the Uposatha?

Editors, Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Keep the sabbath (uposatha) for everyone's good.

The Uposatha (Sanskrit Upavasatha) is a weekly Buddhist lunar day of observance, in existence from the Buddha's time (600 BCE), and still being kept today by Buddhist practitioners.

The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind/heart," resulting in inner calm and joy.

On this day, both lay and ordained 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, the lay followers make a conscious effort to keep more than the usual Five Precepts by keeping Eight Precepts for one day and night. It is a day for practicing the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) and meditation. More