Adam Stonebraker - The Awakened One Within: Vesak as a Mirror of Our Own Path ~
Honoring the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and passing—not just as events of the past, but as living invitations to recognize the potential for freedom in our own hearts.
Join us in person:
Adam will be teaching in-person in the Meditation Hall
Nevada City Insight Center
710 Zion St, Nevada City, CA 95959
Join us on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2281834980?pwd=NExJbW5TL21tKzFnQlRvQ2tuajNNdz09
Meeting ID: 228 183 4980
Password: 2656111
Join by Phone: 669-900-9128
Vesak: A Time to Remember by Adam Stonebraker
Each year around the time of the full moon in May, Buddhist communities across the world gather to celebrate Vesak—a day that commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and final passing (parinibbāna) of the Buddha. Known by many names in different cultures—Vesakha Puja in Thailand, Buddha Jayanti in Nepal, Saga Dawa in Tibet—it is perhaps the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar.
Vesak is not just a historical remembrance, but a call to deepen our own path of awakening. It invites us to pause, bow, and begin again. To light a candle not only in honor of the Buddha, but as a symbol of our own aspiration to live with greater wisdom, compassion, and freedom.
The story goes that the Buddha was born under the full moon, awakened under the full moon, and died under the full moon—each time in the month of Vesākha. Whether we hold these events as literal or mythic, they remind us of the full arc of human life: birth, struggle, liberation, and release. And they remind us that each of us, too, carries within us the seeds of awakening.
For me, Vesak is a time to return to the fundamentals—to reflect on what drew me to this path in the first place: the mystery of suffering, the yearning for peace, the glimpses of joy in presence and letting go. I like to spend the day in reflection, making an offering at my meditation altar, revisiting the refuges and precepts, chanting, and reading, especially the stories from the life of the Buddha. It is a time to remember the Buddha not as a distant figure from history, but as a mirror of our own potential, a presence that continues to whisper: There is a way.
This year, may we each find a moment to pause and honor the light of awakening, within and around us. As the Dhammapada says:
“The radiance of the awakened one
shines far, lighting the world—
like the moon freed from a cloud.”
Wishing you all a blessed Vesak.
Teacher Support: All donations for this evening’s session will go to Adam - Thank you
To donate by credit card: ADAM STONEBRAKER DONATION (DANA)
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Mountain Stream Meditation
PO Box 2510
Nevada City, CA 95959
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Bio - Adam Stonebraker has been dedicated to Buddhist practice and meditation since 1999 and serves as the Guiding Teacher for Mountain Stream Meditation in Nevada City, CA. Since 2010, he has been sharing the Buddha’s teachings with diverse audiences locally and internationally. His approach is deeply influenced by the Thai Forest Tradition, the Bodhisattva path, and the transformative power of meditation.
Adam has been mentored closely by Kittisaro & Thanissara as a retreat and meditation teacher in the lineage of Ajahn Chah and the Kuan Yin Dharmas as taught by Master Hsuan Hua. His teaching emphasizes trust in one’s innate wisdom, the cultivation of an open heart, and an embodied understanding of interdependence. While his primary focus is on Buddhism and meditation, his background in yoga and somatic practice informs his approach to embodied awareness and the integration of insight with daily life. Deeply attuned to the natural world, he draws inspiration from its rhythms and resilience as a source of practice and insight.
Adam has studied with a wide range of teachers, including Kittisaro & Thanissara, Sarah & Ty Powers, Zen Master Dae Gak, and Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. In 2019, he earned a Master’s degree in Mindfulness Studies from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is currently in the four-year Spirit Rock/IMS teacher training, further deepening his commitment to sharing the Dharma. Since 2020, his teaching and practice have been exclusively dedicated to Buddhism and meditation. To learn more about Adam, visit, www.mtstream.org/adam-stonebraker