"Light the Way for Burma " on Friday October 26th

On Friday, October 26th, the night of the full moon, the people of Burma will celebrate Thadingyut, a traditional Festival of Lights. The occasion commemorates the return of the Buddha to the human realm after teaching the Dharma to his mother in the realm of the Long-Life Gods.

In Burma, this occasion is a great holiday: people light millions of candles in commemoration of the Buddha's radiance. They light up their homes, their trees, and their shops. They light candles particularly at monasteries and pagodas--places of spiritual refuge. In celebration of the Buddha's presence in the world, people try to stay awake until dawn. There is music and feasting.

This year, the celebration may not look the same as in years past, in an environment of intimidation and suppression of the people. Whole urban monasteries have been emptied out, their monastics either arrested or dispersed to the countryside. If the people can get out to the holy places, they will find many of them desecrated.

We invite you to support the people of Burma with prayer on this occasion. On that evening, at Kunzang Palyul Choling Buddhist temple in Poolesville, Maryland, we will "Light the Way for Burma," with offerings of lights at the Enlightenment Stupa along with meditation and prayers for peace. For more details on this event, click here.

Why not make an occasion of it yourself, wherever you are? Invite your friends and family, turn inward in prayer and meditation, and turn on the outdoor lights for the people of Burma.

What if people all over the world did the same thing that night? What if so many lights were on that it could be seen in space? Leave the lights on for Burma! Let the satellite eyes in the sky show the people of Burma that the world supports them on this special night.

What if astronaut Schweickart (see previous posting) went back to orbiting the earth on Friday October 26th and reports to us that North Africa was all lit up, and so was the Middle East, Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka), Phoenix, Houston, New Orleans … all in support of the people of Burma?