Greetings and welcome to Enlightening Entertainment. Today is the 15th of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, which is celebrated in many Asian countries as the Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival. It is believed that the moon is at its brightest and fullest moon of the whole year on this day. Families and friends joyfully reunite and appreciate the beautiful moon at night.

Now, please join us as we celebrate the Moon Festival and find out some fascinating things about the moon. The moon, romantic and mysterious, is the Earth’s satellite, playing a vital practical role in maintaining the Earth’s position, climate, and tides. The cycles of the moon are believed to be related to the growth and decline of plants, animals, and human lives. The moon is also associated with spiritual life in various cultures’ beliefs.

Some societies believe that the rays of the moon have the power of healing, purification, and longevity. In Egypt, the moon-god Thoth is associated with wisdom and justice. The Hindu deity Shiva is adorned with a crescent moon, which indicates his perfect control of the mind.

In Buddhism, the Wheel of Rebirth often depicts Buddha pointing at the moon, which represents our pure self-nature that the enlightened Masters introduce to us. In a gathering with our Association members in October 2007, Supreme Master Ching Hai revealed that the moon is actually a living being.

One night, when I first came back from America to Spain in that house, and it was the moon light When it’s the moon light, I like to watch; so I come out and watch it. Suddenly all the seagulls waken from their sleep and come out, flying around and singing and dancing all over the place. And the Moon keeps smiling at me, many hours long. Really the face of a smiling person, and my assistant said, “Oh my God. Look at that, Master. Look at that.”

That wasn’t like an illusion or it wasn’t like a shape by accident. Many hours we sit there and it keeps smiling at us. Truly a beautiful smile, because all the beings get together and put their smiling image on the moon for me. Of course, I thank them a lot, a lot. Sometimes the Moon just stands still for many hours, because I was singing with the disciples. All the residents know this. They were there. We were in a mountain and next to the river.

Then we were singing with guitar, mandolin, and all kind of things that we had there. Whatever we had, singing. The moon just stood still, really, for many hours, as long as we were there. Then suddenly we say something, “Okay, that’s it. We got to go inside and meditate.” Then the moon dropped, “Bop,” like it dropped. Like I take a candy, truly like that.

The moon is really alive, I am telling you, and if you love it, it will respond. I mean must have love inside, truly love. I love the moon so much.

In China, the Moon Festival is celebrated with dances and moon gazing. People also enjoy tea and moon cakes with relatives and friends. According to Chinese legend, a beautiful lady named Chang’e resides with Jade Rabbit in the moon palace. It is said that Chang’e took the elixir of immortality, flew to the moon and became the moon goddess.

Another legend tells of the Tang emperor who once visited the moon palace through the help of a Taoist. In the moon palace, he saw hundreds of fairies dancing to heavenly music. Have you ever wondered what the moon fairies look like? Let’s now enjoy a graceful celestial dance performance presented by our Association members from Taichung, Formosa (Taiwan).

Who says the lives of animals are insignificant? They are also flesh and blood. Please do not aim at the birds upon those branches, because the fledglings in the nest are awaiting their mother’s return. Having a family reunion on the Moon Festival, everyone is happy and cheerful. With the bright moon shining in the sky, the whole world is veg and goes green. Happy Moon Festival to you all!

When we return, we’ll continue our program with more traditional performances and past Moon Festival festivities with Supreme Master Ching Hai. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to Enlightening Entertainment.

Japan also celebrates Moon Festival, calling it “Jugoya,” meaning “night of the full moon.”

In observance of the harvest moon, as it is sometimes called, families nowadays celebrate by making susuki, or pampas grass arrangements, and dango, or rice dumplings, while viewing the radiant moon.

Koreans call the Moon Festival “Chusok,” meaning “autumn night.” It’s one of the few times in the year where a big family reunion commences. Korean folk dances are performed at this time, such as the Ganggangsullae, which is formed by a large circle of women under the bright full moon, and Nongak dance, a folk dance celebrating the fall harvest. Let’s watch this beautiful rendition of the Ganggangsullae dance by the prestigious South Korean National Dance Company.

Ganggangsullae Ganggangsullae Let’s jump, let’s leap
Ganggangsullae Let’s jump cheerfully Ganggangsullae Until the yard caves in Ganggangsullae
Full moon day of the 6th month Full moon day of the 7th month
Ganggangsullae The 8th month’s Mid-Autumn Day is coming to a close
Ganggangsullae Let’s play, turtle! Let’s frolic!
This turtle, that turtle, let’s have fun!
From here and there, let’s play, turtle!
Let’s frolic! This turtle, that turtle, let’s have fun!
Let’s pick bracken (edible fern)
Gather bracken in a basket and oh, cross the mountain
Let’s pick bracken on the mountain to put on the ancestral ritual table
Ganggangsullae Ganggangsullae Let’s play, turtle! Let’s frolic!
This turtle, that turtle, let’s have fun!
Let’s pick bracken It’s fun and exciting
Let’s pick bracken Gather bracken in a basket and oh, cross the mountain
Let’s pick bracken Gather bracken in a basket and oh, cross the mountain
Let’s pick bracken on the mountain to put on the ancestral ritual table
Ganggangsullae Ganggangsullae Ganggangsullae It’s raining now.
Let’s roll up the straw mat. It’s raining now.
Let’s roll up the straw mat because it won’t clear up.
Stop, O rain, or the strawberries will be ruined
It’s raining now. Let’s roll the straw mat. because it won’t clear up.
Stop, O rain, or the strawberries will be ruined
Lay out the straw mat because the rain has stopped
Lay out the straw mat because the sky has cleared up
Lay out the straw mat because the rain has stopped
Lay out the straw mat because the sky has cleared up
Ganggangsullae Ganggangsullae Ganggangsullae Ganggangsullae

The Moon Festival is also observed in Formosa (Taiwan) and the Chinese communities of other Asian countries, such as Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In Malaysia, the Mooncake Festival is celebrated by eating mooncakes and round fruits that symbolize fullness and family harmony. Lantern processions are joined by children and adult alike.

In Hong Kong, the festival is marked by a Fire Dragon Dance where a 220-foot long Fire Dragon is carried through the village of Tai Hang. People perform the Fire Dragon Dance and burn firecrackers to pray for health and peace.

In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), the Moon Festival is mainly for children. Markets open early to sell moon cakes and lanterns. Aulacese moon cakes, similar to Chinese moon cakes, are made with sweet and fragrant fillings, such as bean paste, lotus seeds, water chestnuts, taro or coconut. The lanterns used in the festival have many different colors and shapes. At dusk, after enjoying moon cakes with their families, children will light up the lanterns, and join in a candlelit lantern procession with other children.

Let’s now enjoy a performance by our young Association members from southern Âu Lạc, titled “Legendary Moon.”

A bright moon hangs from the top of the sky Where to do you fly, O white egrets?
O Grandma, does Uncle Cuội miss his home?
How come I feel as if he is descending upon Earth?
You’ve been by the banyan tree for a thousand years,
O Cuội, is the moon young or old, may I ask?
You’ve been by the banyan tree for a thousand years,
O Cuội, is the moon young or old, may I ask?

A flock of young birds play with the moon in the sky When will Cuội be able to come down to play?
O Grandma, does Uncle Cuội miss his home?
How come I feel as if he is descending upon Earth?
You’ve been by the banyan tree for a thousand years,
O Cuội, is the moon young or old, may I ask?
You’ve been by the banyan tree for a thousand years,
O Cuội, is the moon young or old, may I ask?

Representing Âu Lạc, I respectfully wish Supreme Master Ching Hai a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival and very long life to guide us on the path of liberation. We also wish all our friends in the world a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival and delicious cakes as well as lovely lanterns. I wish the whole world will be veg, live green, and there will be no more global warming, flooding and natural disasters, so our friends will be prosperous and happy.

Over the past years, Supreme Master Ching Hai has lovingly shared her time with our Association members for Moon Festival celebrations. There have been many memorable moments together while singing, dancing, and tasting delicious vegan treats.

You asked me how deeply I love you, And how much I love you.

I know I have a pair of invisible wings
Which take me on a flight towards hope

Thank you, Master, for giving us a pair of invisible wings,
guiding us to fly back to our eternal Home.

Her worry deepens as I travel farther. I think of her but cannot see her again.
We love Master forever with all the world. Thank you Master.

In the blue sky of the Milky Way in a small, white boat are a laurel tree and a rabbit.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Masterl!

Hey, cheers, guys!

Cheers!

Happy Mooning!

Happy Moon Festival!

During the festivities in 2009, Supreme Master Ching Hai spontaneously taught an Aulacese (Vietnamese) Moon Festival song and dance to the international gathering.

Mid-Autumn Festival is here, we hold hands dancing under the golden moon. Joyfully, we sing, we dance and play We come together, our hearts in union Let us celebrate with the moon

It was also during this Moon Festival that Supreme Master Ching Hai shared an uplifting insight about moon gazing.

You know why people like the round moon so much? Because it’s like your perfection. Yes. And today is the moon as the fullest of the whole year. Normally, we should sit outside, you know, looking at the moon, enjoying the flowers, the fragrance, and eat the cakes, and drink tea.

But never mind, you have the moon inside. When you meditate you see the moon sometimes. In some traditions, people say that if you see the new moon, you can make a wish, and your wish will come true.

We offer our deepest gratitude to Supreme Master Ching Hai for bringing us so many wonderful memories about the moon and the Moon Festival, and for illuminating our spiritual path with infinite love. May Heaven continue to shower you, our Moon Goddess, with perfect health and sweet beauty. Wishing everyone a joyful Moon Festival!

Gentle viewers, thank you for joining us today on Enlightening Entertainment. Now, please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Words of Wisdom, next after Noteworthy News. May your heart be filled with blissful Divine Light!