| BBC’s Religion and Ethics page writes | | | | tremendously satisfying for all of us to see how |
| “Wesak is the most important of the Buddhist | | | | we all experience the “aha” moments as |
| festivals and is celebrated on the full moon in May. | | | | light bulbs go off one by one! |
| It celebrates the Buddha's birthday, and, for some | | | | We also do something that is my favorite part of |
| Buddhists, also marks his birth and death.” | | | | the program: we sing together, using the sacred |
| In the Esoteric Teachings, Alice A. Bailey writes, | | | | songs that Torkom wrote and composed. I love |
| “The day of the Festival is to be known as | | | | these songs and have a passionate interest in |
| the "day of safeguarding" whilst the two | | | | hearing them sung with understanding. I rely on |
| succeeding days are called the "days of | | | | my feeling of the song, its rhythm, and the |
| distribution." | | | | message and meaning it is trying to impart. These |
| Torkom Saraydarian has written and lectured | | | | are not the usual sacred songs or the usual |
| extensively on Wesak. In the book Cosmos in | | | | church songs. They are really different. The key |
| Man, he writes: | | | | to singing is to use the musical sounds and simple |
| “At this time, as the Full Moon is approaching, | | | | words to understand our relation to the greater |
| the Great Ones, the Initiates and disciples are | | | | whole in a way that is totally different from the |
| forming a great field of energy in the Himalayas, | | | | intellectual approach. Music surpasses the intellect |
| through their meditation, contemplation, mystical | | | | and goes straight to the heart and intuition. It |
| and sacred rituals, and through Their great | | | | moves us and influences us in ways that are not |
| striving, invocations and contacts. This is the field | | | | easily expressed. Music and sacred songs realign |
| which will be charged more and more by the | | | | our bodies and clear our aura of disturbing |
| presence of Christ, and through the blessings of | | | | patterns and inharmonious recordings. |
| the Great Lord Buddha; it will provide a chalice for | | | | I have also formulated sacred dances and |
| cosmic energy, and a channel through which these | | | | movements that we do as a group. We learn |
| energies can pass to the kingdoms of nature. This | | | | how to walk in rhythm and move in rhythm and |
| energy field is formed of the four cosmic ethers | | | | together learn a dance ritual that combines |
| and, as a huge cloud formation, spreads itself all | | | | movement, songs, and candlelight to give a |
| over the world. | | | | beautifully balanced feast for all our senses. On |
| “All those who are sensitive enough to this | | | | Wesak eve, we have a special program of songs, |
| energy field will slowly notice that seeds of great | | | | dance ritual, and group meditation and Holy |
| beauty, truth, and goodness start to bloom within | | | | Communion. |
| their hearts. All those who love their fellow man, | | | | A participant once told me “I don’t dance |
| all those who really work for the unity of | | | | Gita.” So, I said, “fine, but just humor me |
| mankind, who really strive beyond their physical | | | | and walk and move with the group and you will |
| satisfactions to reach and touch this field of | | | | see what happens.” He did. At first, he felt |
| energy, will be impressed by new age visions, | | | | tired. The next day, he had more energy. By the |
| ideas and goals.” | | | | third day, he was the first in line and ready to |
| I decided years ago that our TSG Annual | | | | move! Both sound and movement act to move |
| Conference would take place to coincide with | | | | energy and, when they are specially organized and |
| Wesak. I wanted to celebrate this time with | | | | composed and sung, there is a tremendous |
| friends and family in a very special setting and | | | | effect in our life. You have to do it to experience |
| special programs. I went to work to create an | | | | it! |
| event that would stay in the memory of every | | | | We have been very fortunate to have the |
| participant and that memory would be a | | | | Lutheran Retreat Center in Carefree, Arizona to |
| continuous source of joy and upliftment and we | | | | hold our events. It is so beautiful and serene with |
| have succeeded in doing so since 2000! | | | | special desert landscaping. The desert is a beautiful |
| Several kinds of memories and experiences | | | | and suitable place for such expansion. It is so big, |
| helped me make this decision. One was the special | | | | broad, and open that it begs for our minds to |
| energy I felt every time I attended a Wesak | | | | knock down walls and expand and broaden our |
| lecture and meditation. Whether the speaker was | | | | consciousness. Often, as we sing and dance and |
| Torkom or another person, the energy was | | | | listen to lectures, various desert birds entertain us |
| always electric. I have forgotten the contents of | | | | with their flights and songs on the surrounding |
| the lectures, but I have never forgotten that | | | | trees. You cannot be insular or limited in the |
| special feeling, that impressed inner joy. | | | | desert. It forces you to open and expand. It |
| The second was the feeling I had at every annual | | | | moves the walls of separation and makes you |
| conference that Torkom presented. These were | | | | see a much bigger picture, as far as you dare to |
| intense five days of lectures, meditations, and | | | | look. |
| visualizations held in the summers in Sedona. I felt | | | | Esotericists have long believed that this special |
| like every part of my nature was getting cleaned | | | | day, and more specifically, the exact time of the |
| out and re-aligned. The joy of meeting old friends, | | | | Taurus full moon, something very special happens |
| sitting together hour after hour, and doing mental | | | | to our planetary consciousness: that the Buddha |
| and spiritual work together unified me in heart and | | | | arrives from higher, celestial realms and pours out |
| soul. The events and participants were disciplined | | | | blessings to a gathering of Masters. The legend |
| and on a very high spiritual level. It was like a mini | | | | says that the Lord Christ is at the head of the |
| monastery experience with devoted disciples. The | | | | gathering and receives the bolt of energy and |
| impressions and friendships have been long lasting. | | | | then distributes it to all the Masters present, which |
| They were magical days and I wanted to | | | | in turn release the energy blessings to the world. |
| recapture this feeling after Torkom passed away. | | | | For some people, this is about as far fetched as it |
| Another reason for my decision was to have an | | | | gets! For me, it does not really matter how it |
| outer celebration of what the mysteries tell us | | | | happens. I know that on the inner planes, there is |
| happens on the inner planes: the symbolic joining | | | | no division of religions, of Buddha or Christ or any |
| together of two spiritual traditions. I wanted to | | | | other Great One. It is an event that is steeped in |
| experience what this feels like with others of like | | | | mystery but in that mystery is the truth of unity |
| mind and heart. I did not want this time to be | | | | and oneness of God. |
| spent in religious or academic discussion but rather | | | | More importantly, it is a point of inner contact. |
| a time where an inner experience is impressed | | | | This is Wesak at its foremost symbolism, the |
| and acknowledged in our life. Wesak is not the | | | | point of contact between East and West, |
| time for intellectual curiosity, but rather a time of | | | | between heart and mind, between all Great Ones |
| worship, remembrance, healing, understanding, | | | | and humanity, between groups and individuals, |
| connecting, uniting, and accepting the vastness of | | | | between group members, and between our daily |
| the universes and the vastness and beauty of | | | | personality life and our soul. It is a symbolic |
| the Divine Guidance received through so many | | | | marriage in its best form, presented to us in a |
| Great Ones. I wanted to organize something that | | | | mysterious tale of contact between the Lord |
| would resonate in the unifying heart of every | | | | Buddha and by the Lord Christ. |
| participant. I wanted to focus on how to unite | | | | This is the spiritual New Year for esotericists. It is |
| rather than divide in our actions, feelings, and | | | | the beginning of the Zodiacal cycles and for this |
| speech and thinking. I wanted an outer reflection | | | | reason, it is a perfect time for a spiritual retreat |
| of the work that takes place on the inner planes. | | | | before we position our life in the coming New |
| So what happens at our annual Wesak | | | | Year. |
| Conferences? I usually present a series of | | | | At Wesak, I encourage everyone to find time to |
| lectures focusing on a specific topic. I try to | | | | sit quietly and contemplate on what your life |
| stretch and expand our minds by the lectures and | | | | means. Think about your spiritual path and what |
| meditations and the overall experience. This year | | | | you are doing to enhance your life in its inner |
| (2008), the topic is our Spiritual Legacy: what is it | | | | dimensions. Meditate on the meaning of contact |
| that lasts life after life and gives meaning and | | | | and try to come into contact with your inner, |
| sustenance to our life? How do we build the inner | | | | core beliefs. If everything is stripped from your |
| mechanism that will heal us and bring us into life | | | | life, what are the core principles that operate in |
| situations that are truly blessed and deeply | | | | your life? |
| meaningful? I will speak about emotional healing, | | | | Think as a unified humanity. On this day, we want |
| about our life narrative and what it is based on, | | | | to take our walls down and expand out to the |
| and about the spiritual education and practice that | | | | horizon. On this day, we want to experience the |
| builds our true legacy. We have plenty of time to | | | | feeling of sacredness and heal our hearts and |
| do group meditation and intense visualizations for | | | | minds. We want to use the energies of goodwill |
| clearing, healing, and connecting our consciousness. | | | | and higher contact to foster greater meaning to |
| We discuss high-level Teachings with each other in | | | | our life. As these higher contacts filter down to |
| small groups and learn how to understand the | | | | our daily life, we become better men and women, |
| Teaching without mental posturing or personal | | | | better wives and husbands, better loved ones, |
| opinions. We dig deep into the Teaching and try to | | | | better parents and better friends; we become |
| understand it as a group. The group mind brings | | | | better human beings and see each human being in |
| out so many hidden treasures of meaning. It is | | | | the light of the heart and mind. |