Tonight is an all-night meditation to commemorate the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Siddhartha Guatama was born a prince and had a privileged childhood. As he 
became more aware of the suffering in the world, his natural empathy led him to look for ways to alleviate and eliminate suffering.
He left the familiar, and for years he studied esoteric and spiritual knowledge under several different teachers. Eventually, he came to a place in his life where he realized that he had to lead himself, walk his own path, and know his own truth, internally, for himself.
We can learn much from his compassion, his commitment to Truth, his determination to lead himself, and the ultimate accomplishment he achieved when he stopped chasing after wisdom and, instead, sat under a tree to receive it.
Siddhartha rejected numerous temptations, and sat and fasted under the tree for a week, determined to receive his answers.
As the planet Venus (called both the morning star and the evening star) rose on the horizon, before dawn on the 8th day, Siddhartha received enlightenment and became the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
The legend says that as he gazed at the morning star, he said, “How marvelous, I, the great Earth, and all beings are naturally and simultaneously awakened.” This phrase echoes the teachings of quantum physics, that we are interconnected, and when we bring our localized self into harmony, we add to the harmony of the whole universe.
In honour of the Buddha’s awakening, many people sit in meditation throughout the night of December 7th into the morning of December 8th.
In North America tonight, Venus sets in the early evening. You can find Venus in the southwest portion of the sky just after sunset. If you feel so inspired, you can sit and meditate with your eyes open, watching Venus until she sets. If it’s cloudy out, or it’s freezing outside and you don’t have a window facing the southwest, you can light a candle and gaze upon it instead. Or see if there’s a gathering in your area tonight, and join with others in meditation. Then follow your meditation with a traditional meal of rice and milk.
The Noble Eightfold Path was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama as a practical guideline to personal development with the goal of freeing an individual from delusions and the suffering they cause:
Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
+ Honour your own path with a meditation tonight.
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha
