The crescent moon yearns for fullness
The Crescent moon yearns for fullness
On the third day of the New Moon (as it appeared from the Earth), the Moon looked very sad. He again started to pray to the Sun requesting him to appear. Just as he was beginning to lose hope, the radiant Sun said, “Hello, My dear…I have been thinking about you, Is everything ok? Your form of the crescent looks beautiful… How come you look sad?”
The Moon said – “You are so lucky. You are full and complete and round all the time. I am not…Starting to sniff, he continued,” “at times, I am a crescent, sometimes a bigger crescent, sometimes a half circle and only once in a fortnight the full moon”. Deeply sad, with a quivering murmur, the Moon said to the Sun, “I wish I was complete and full all the time“.
It continued,“ I have experienced that whenever I am happy, I wish nothing was different. Everything is perfect and in harmony. Why does happiness come and go? My happiness manifests more on some days than others. I have tried so many things but nothing changes. I spoke to the neighbouring moon – he too has the same problem. So I felt worse by talking to him. I tried to think positive thoughts and remember fond memories of shining brightly during a full moon day. But none of this helps. These help for some time and then I am back to square one. Is there a solution to my problem? How come you don’t have a problem? As the Sun, you get covered so often by clouds. Maybe you also feel depressed like me. I don’t think you can help me….can you? “
The Sun smiled kindly and said,” My dear, I hear you completely. You are as much as I am. I am as much as you are“
The moon thought that the Sun had gone crazy, but decided to not voice his thoughts. Maybe the Sun was tired, shining all the time. Instead he said – “O sun! With due respect, this sounds like some spiritual stuff? Still, because you make me shine, maybe you know something that I don’t. Tell me more.”
“My dear, we need to enquire more into what we perceive as the changing nature of happiness or fullness. Do you want to know more? ”
Feeling validated and seeing the Sun’s compassion to help him out, the moon started to relax and intently listen.
The Sun continued, “Most of us have been taught to believe that happiness is out there. Either in relating with someone, achieving something or acquiring something. If you think happiness is out there, does it enter us through these things – achievements such as shining brightly, spiritual disciplines, relating to the other satellites?
“No..’’ The moon said with hesitation. The Sun then asked: “Where does happiness come from?”.
A bit confused, the Moon said “I don’t know – it’s a feeling. It must come from somewhere – maybe it is a combination of my mind and the external situation. Why does not my happiness last? I want to be full and happy in all situations and at all times.”
The Sun smiled and said “What happens on a full moon day? You shine brilliantly. There is nothing that covers you. Your true nature is revealed. Did the day bring about the happiness? You think it did. But actually, it only invoked what you already are. All of you is able to shine, because that is how you are. Did you struggle to achieve your completeness? No.”
“Yes, I know that… But I don’t feel complete”, the Moon said.
“A certain situation – what we think as conducive, where we do not experience any division between ourselves and the situation is generally understood as happiness. When we are happy, we don’t complain that we are happy. We don’t want to change it. It is the closest to our nature. Whether a new moon day or a full moon day, you are full and complete all the time. Do you see that?”
The Sun continued, “Understand that some situations happen to allow your happiness to manifest more than the others. It is not the power of the situations. Because we do not see our own reality, we project it on situations.
The more we think that happiness is out there, the more we want to alter our situation. The more we alter our situations and try and manipulate all the factors, the more we see happiness as a to-be-achieved-project. It becomes a long endless trip with no result in sight. All of this is fine, if happiness was really out there. But actually it is not, it is you. Every moment of happiness is a glimpse of your true nature.”
“The nature of a feeling is fleeting – it comes and goes. It does not have a being of its own. Isn’t it? Because of so much emphasis on emotion – we think that how we feel is the way things are. The more we think about this and enquire with a Guru ‘s help who has this vision, you will see what I see clearly.
My guru, the Golden One, taught me this and I am teaching this to you. None of the situations, not even me can change the truth of you are – your reality, your completeness.”
The Moon had a moment of insight, “I have been full all along but could not see it. I only focused on the times that some parts of me shone. I have yearned and prayed for fullness because I have focused on my waxing and waning forms. When I waxed, I thought I was more. When I waned, I thought I was less. My reflected light kept changing. I was always full and complete. “ The sun beamed at the moon’s rays of understanding and said ‘You are as much as I am’.