The moon is perfectly round.  It is segmented during its cycle so we may only see certain parts of it, but always the segments are divisions of an object which is perfectly spherical.  This perfection represents our true nature, our Buddha nature. It exists in our deepest consciousness, in the submerged mass of the iceberg.

The sky moon is virtually indestructible. Its light is constantly radiant although it is not always available to human eyes. But the moon in the sky is merely a representation of what is within each of us – our true, cool nature, calm, unconditional, silent and still.  External disturbances need not deter its loving, accepting consistency, just as meteors and solar storms cannot destroy the moon.

Today, the master reminded every one of their inner moons.  Disciples were encouraged to embody their glowing beacon for the benefit of people around them, exactly so that others would be inspired to contact their own moons.

One man talked honestly about his negative emotions and his arrogance.  Has grandmother had become seriously ill and so he spent as much time as possible with her.  But he found her suffering and the sadness of her impending death too much to bear at times. Then he remembered the positive light of his inner moon and with it the realization that his negative feelings about her pain and hopelessness were not connected to the reality of the situation. Those negative feelings of intolerance were attributable to his selective ego.  So, he smiled outwardly instead of wincing inwardly, able at last to display his sincere feelings.

That day, his grandmother told him how she was able to benefit from his clear strength, and that it, in turn, gave her strength and dissolved the fear that pain and the unknown can engender.

We underestimate how knowing we are about each other.  His grandmother could sense his negative energy. It actually accentuated her fear and pain.  But once he had allowed his lunar radiance to shine through, she was bathed in it. His moon then lit her own inner moon.

These subtle energies are concealed from us if we are always loitering outside our divine nature, regarding the sky moon as an external object, a commodity we can possess. Outside, we compulsively filter reality to our own liking and the levels of our tolerance.  Inside, it’s all simply a question of ignition; our moon can light up countless others through our very presence in the human world.

Innate faith, like language and culture, is embedded via the influence of those around us and our environment.  In Japan, spiritual feelings or energy have for so long revolved around duty and custom that most people first have to learn how to peel away the layers so they can contact their inner moons. Then they have to understand and accept that they have the power to influence those around them.  The heavy conditioning of modesty and humility in social life often covers individual potential from view.

So, she must continue to go often to climb the temple steps and catch a glimpse of the rising of her radiant moon.  She will attend until her last breath, repeatedly mistaking determination and devotion to the masters and other beings for her own inner radiance.  It takes time to establish faith in oneself when the seeds were not planted as a child.  She must plant them methodically by hand, and wait for their unpredictable germination.