MOON WATCHING
Last night waking up around 2pm and looking through the glass window, I saw the moon tilting and shining down into the room. How brilliant it was! Everywhere was spacious and tranquil. My mind was too.
I remembered our Master once taught us how to watch the moon. He said the Sutra refers to the method of Watching the Sun and the Moon, Watching the Sunlight, and the Suryavarta-samadhi. Then, he shared his experience in the so-called “Reluctant self-isolation for mind practice”.
There was some primary time our Master was not allowed to bask in the sun. The roof, at that time, was possibly covered by leaves instead of tiles. There was a hole from which the sunlight shone down onto the floor. Our master stared at it, and he felt better. When the loath quarantine ended, he looked for the old science magazines sold at the flea markets. He found out when our eyes touch the sunlight, their signals go deeper into the eyes, to the optic nerves, and reach the Pineal gland right beneath the two thalami. The gland, then, releases Serotonin which will turn into Melatonin. The former is a neurotransmitter whose function is to ignite our activities without fatigue, kick off our energy and appetite. Also, it is the treatment for depression and chronic migraine. The latter is the hormone which can regulate the proper cycle of sleeping and waking up. It can prevent cataract and support the immunity system. From this experience, our Master instructed us how to watch the sunlight as follows.
STARING AT THE SUNLIGHT
Between 10am to 11am, we might stay indoors looking outside. We might also take a walk in the park or at our backyard staring at the light shining down the lawns, the roads or onto the cars parking along the streets. Never take a look at the sun when it is transmitting the light. The time is around 10 to 15 minutes. With that, during the day, we are active, cheerful, appetitive and sleep well at night. We have produced both Serotonin and Melatonin.
However, this practice is not recommended for the severe diabetics because their vision has been weakened. Suppose they get insomnia; how could they produce Melatonin to sooth their sleep? Our Master guided them on the following method.
STARING AT THE DARKNESS
Watching the darkness can satisfy those who get wrinkles with their sleeping. When we cannot sleep in the evening, let’s turn off the lights. Any ray of light should not be in the room. If some is still lingering, we can use a black blanket and stare at it. The darkness will help the hypothalamus secret Melatonin. The functions of Melatonin activated by a group of nuclei under the hypothalamus or by the Pineal gland are similar. Staring at the darkness for about 20 to 30 minutes, we feel drowsy and fall into sleep.
It does not require the Wordless Knowing for watching the sunlight and the darkness. So, everyone can make it out. For instance, we can accompany a depressed friend for a sunlight walk at the beach or in the park.
Yet, the application of the Wordless Knowing experience into those two practices results in increasing the quantity of Acetylcholine because the parasympathetic system has been affected. Acetylcholine is another neurotransmitter whose functions are to regulate the internal organs, and the rates of blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. It also helps to restore the lost memories and make our physical activities resilient and flexible. The Knowing-Without-Words also impacts on the Nature of Seeing.
In the lengthy winters, folks easily get depressed. Instead of the sunbeam, we can turn on all the lights to get the light rays.
WATCHING THE RISING SUN
We can look at the sun when it is rising up at the horizon. The sun is usually blocked and hidden by the tall buildings and trees in the cities. In the countryside or in the open air like the beach and hilltops, we can watch the crimson sun just emerging up and slowly raying the red beams. Take a direct look at it. We will see its red center turning into dark blue and moving very pretty soon. For about 5 to 10 minutes, when the sun rises up a very little bit higher, it becomes yellow and smaller, we should stop the practice right then. This also helps providing Serotonin and Melatonin. With the Knowing-Without-Words applied, our mind is completely empty and serene.
WATCHING THE FULL MOON
This also comes from our Master’s experience. Waking up when the midnight just passes, we can find the full moon is inclining. Watch it amidst the whole clear sky without any cloud in immense tranquility. Folks are sleeping around us now. The atmosphere is calm and silent. It is the very quiet and vast space that helps our mind to easily merge into the quiescent and barren state then, we abide within it.
There are two effects resulting from this application.
- Easy to mingle oneself into the concentration, samadhi, state.
- Influences on the parasympathetic system: secreting Acetylcholine, regulating the high levels of blood pressure, high blood sugar, and heart rates. The brain stem also releases Serotonin, Melatonin and Dopamine among which the last is bringing us a joyful, buoyant and awakening mood. Sometimes for that reason, our Master recommended not taking meditation after 9pm. When the biochemicals are excessively released, our bodies are resilient and eagerly active in the high spirit, then it might be hard for us to fall into sleep. Yet, our health is in good condition because our mind and body are well-restored by meditation.
Staring at the moon now, I remembered the simple methods our Masters once taught in the basic mental retreat courses to provide the instant adjustments for those who were desperately in need: chronic insomnia, high blood pressure, depression, lethargy, fatigue, lack of energy. At that time, on the first day of each retreat, he handed each practitioner a registration form. From it, he knew everyone, and their own sickness and he prescribed the treatment via meditation and Qigong. For instance, rheumatoid arthritis: Qigong exercises; high blood pressure: meditation and Qigong; diabetes: meditation; nerve exhaustion: Qigong; ghost fear: Qigong; stomachache: meditation; short breath: meditation and Qigong and so on…
Later on, due to time lacking, the retreat sections were shortened, so the practice was reduced and the Qigong exercises were very general. In self-reviewing, I found lots of missing; what I learned from our Master was richly abundant whereas what I have passed down is so limited.
Oh, dear Moon, keep shining and let the world in their sound sleep. Thousands and thousands of years, folks have been sleeping while the moon has been emitting the moonlight in loneliness and quietness.
Bhikkhuni Thích Nữ Triệt Như
Sunyata Monastery, June 25, 2021
English version by Ngọc Huyền
Link to Vietnamese article: https://www.tanhkhong.org/a2522/triet-nhu-snhp012-ngam-trang
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