\u201cOne night, after many dark moonless nights, when the stars shone brightly, a silver sliver appeared, a shy smile in the sky.<\/p>\n
Each night, the smile became larger and larger, until you could almost imagine shiny teeth sparkling to imitate the twinkling of the stars.<\/p>\n
Night after night, the crescent shape grew to a half-circle. Its light became brighter and brighter, lighting up the sky and dimming the stars.<\/p>\n
Alas, after two weeks, it was a full circle and shone brilliantly in the night sky, allowing only the brightest stars and planets to share the deep, black canvas.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2007, David J. Biviano was meditating and reading a portion of a book by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh when \u201cTrue Moon\u201d \u201cflooded\u201d into his head fully composed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not sit down and write that book,\u201d he said. \u201cI sat down and transcribed it like a dictation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The short story, which features illustrations by Erica Ziegler, is about finding your true self.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably the core teaching of the Buddha, not to dwell in the past or get lost in the future,\u201d Biviano said. \u201cLook deeply into the present moment, which is the only reality, so the moon has to look deeply into himself to discover all of his light comes from the sun, completely changing his perception of reality and discovering his true self, this connection to everything in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, another creative flood brought \u201cThe Sky is Not Blue \u2013 It\u2019s True!\u201d to Biviano.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne night, at bedtime, a wise old grandmother whispered to her grandchildren: \u2018The sky is not blue, it\u2019s true!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018What, Nana?\u2019 said the children. \u2018It surely is blue \u2013 that can\u2019t be true.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Then why is it black at night?\u2019 she asked.<\/p>\n
\u2018Well, \u2018cuz the sun\u2019s not out, silly Nana!\u2019 they replied.<\/p>\n
\u2018Aha!\u2019 she said. \u2018You agree, you see \u2013 the sky is not blue \u2013 it\u2019s true!\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n
The story, which features photos by Alexander Blair and graphic art by Felix Gutierrez, is also inspired by meditations on the teaching of Nhat Hanh.<\/p>\n
Before Biviano\u2019s involvement in the Buddhist tradition, Biviano was Catholic and was a choir boy and altar boy before later spending four years as a Franciscan seminarian.<\/p>\n
Biviano eventually left the order and took time to get married and start a family. He later became a religious education coordinator in his home state of New York then in Spokane, where he moved his family in 1975.<\/p>\n
In the \u201980s, Biviano came out as gay and was subsequently kicked out of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not feel welcome,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I began my journey into the Buddhist tradition. My attorney at the time gave me a copy of Thich Nhat Hanh\u2019s book called \u2018Being Peace.\u2019 She said I needed to learn how to let go. Very difficult divorce. So with that book, I became a devotee and student of Thich Nhat Hanh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next 25 years, Biviano read Nhat Hanh\u2019s books, of which there are more than 100. He then began meditating for 15 minutes at a time. He later joined a men\u2019s group in Seattle and was able to increase his meditation sessions to an hour.<\/p>\n
In 2006, Biviano learned that Nhat Hanh was completing a three-month pilgrimage in Vietnam and that people were welcome to join one of the four three-week segments. Biviano joined for the first segment, traveling with Nhat Hanh from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat, Vietnam.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat pilgrimage changed my life,\u201d he said. \u201cHere I was in the presence of my teacher getting empowerment talks every day. It\u2019s really, really powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n
After completing his time with Nhat Hanh, Biviano crossed an item off his bucket list by traveling to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. After a few days, he was supposed to travel to Bangkok, but he was asked if he\u2019d like to visit a children\u2019s home and decided to extend his stay in Cambodia.<\/p>\n
Biviano quickly fell in love with the children while also being appalled at the conditions in which they lived. He returned to the U.S. and began a charity called Friends of the Children of Cambodia.<\/p>\n
After raising about $20,000, Biviano returned to Cambodia in 2008 and started a children\u2019s home. Biviano stayed in Cambodia for three years and continued to raise money for the children\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
Before returning to Cambodia, though, Biviano experienced that creative flood which brought \u201cTrue Moon\u201d to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis story is a story of finding true self, which is one of the major themes of Buddhist practice, to look deeply, reflect and discover your true self. True moon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, Biviano wrote \u201cThe Sky is Not Blue \u2013 It\u2019s True!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a science lesson on the nature of light and color, how we perceive color,\u201d Biviano said. \u201cIt\u2019s a science lesson along with a spiritual message.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before these two books, Biviano said he creative writing experience was limited to poems which often came to him, like the books, fully formed.<\/p>\n
Biviano self-published \u201cTrue Moon\u201d in 2008 and \u201cThe Sky is Not Blue \u2013 It\u2019s True!\u201d last year through AuthorHouse Publishing. \u201cThe Sky is Not Blue \u2013 It\u2019s True!\u201d is also available in Spanish.<\/p>\n