Many Buddhists are observing an intensive period of meditation this week. You can learn more about Rohatsu, the commemoration of Buddha’s enlightenment, by reading the marvelous articles here and here. Writes Shodo Harada Roshi:

The Buddha was enlightened on the eighth of December when he looked up at the morning star, the planet we call Venus. The brightness of this planet was seen by Buddha from the depths of one week of samadhi [deep awareness]…A whole week’s experience of that world burst the brightness of the morning star, plunging into the Buddha’s eyes and giving rebirth to the Buddha’s consciousness.

He cried: “That’s it! That’s it! That’s it. That’s me! That’s me that’s shining so brilliantly!”

How deeply he was moved and what wonder he felt. From this comes all of the Buddha’s dharma. From within this state of mind the Buddha said: “How wondrous, how wondrous! All beings are endowed with this pure nature! What a wondrous, astonishing thing has been realized! All the ten thousand things, all the flowers, all the trees, all the rocks, all things everywhere are shining brilliantly! What an amazing thing! It’s the same landscape, but how brilliantly it is illuminated! What freshness is everything!”