An email has been floating around, urging the reader to not miss an event on the 27th August 2009. It is indeed a rare occurrence to have Mars so near to Earth!
Though, apparently, it was closest in 2003, and not this year.
See the following links:
1. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/09jun_marshoax.htm
2. http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/errata/ss/mars_in_august.htm
3. http://www.otastro.org/Mars2005/
According to NASA, such an occurrence happens in a 60,000 cycle, so if you miss it six years ago … you got to be around 59,994 years later. Maybe we will see it when we come around as human beings a few more times. Maybe.
The fact that Mars will pass around its orbit is quite certain (unless so catastrophic astronomical event happen); that it’s orbit and Earth’s orbit will be closest once more in some distant future is also rather certain, based on present conditions. Whether we will regain human rebirth a few more times is not certain. Unless we live humanely, observing the precepts, sowing the conditions for human rebirth. Then that is certain.
While it is another 60,000 years or so before Mars will come around, it will be many hundreds, thousands of years, aeons, before the next Buddha will arise and teach the Buddha-Dharma. However now, this present crossing of path, not of Mars and Earth, but that of the Buddha-Dharma and our human life has occurred! This is the rarest and most precious event that we have met, and should all the more, not miss it!
Friends, brothers and sister in the Dharma, let us not “sleep” through this “event”, of the meeting of the Buddha-Dharma and our precious human life. Let us arise and awake to the Truth expounded by the Buddha!
May all of us be guided and protected by the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Reference:
Samyutta Nikaya 56.48 Chiggala Sutta: The Hole
PTS: S v 456 CDB ii 1872
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.048.than.html
PS: When you receive some emails you really feel compelled to forward, read again, google it and confirm its authenticity before forwarding them.