Today is the 40th anniversary of the blastoff of Apollo 11, which landed on the moon. July 20 is the anniversary of the famous moon walk itself. This gives me an excuse to reflect on the moon as a symbol in Buddhist art and literature.
In the comments section over there I rattled off a few examples regarding the moon as mentioned in Nichiren Buddhism. Can you think of gosho quotes or other examples?
Nichiren talks about the moon in so many different ways and contexts. What did it symbolize for him? Most relevant: What does the moon symbolize for you?
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The first quote from Nichiren, regarding the moon, that popped into my head, is this one:"There are those who follow the esoteric teachings of the True Word school and conduct rituals in which they fill five jars with water, and others who devote themselves entirely to seated meditation and try to perceive the emptiness of all phenomena as clearly as the moon."From: "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land"There's a little bit of coincidence in this also as this Gosho was written on July 16th, 1260.The Moon, for me, symbolizes the causal dependence that exists between all living entities. The Moon is only visible when it reflects the Sun and changes shape according to the shadow of the earth.
Good one, Nesshindo. I never thought of it that way before.