Dharma Talk :
The New Year’s Blessing
By
Rev.
Taihaku Priest
Every year Shao Shan Temple, in the tradition of Buddhist
monasteries, creates and sends New Year’s Blessings. Each year, Shao Shan
Temple selects a different message for the upcoming year. This year the message
is KI-KAI or Insight-Open. This
message for 2020 revealed itself as the red pines were falling. This past
November, over 150 red pine trees within falling distance of the temple
buildings were removed for safety reasons. There was a sense of loss with
seeing these magnificent life forms being felled. In the midst of that, space
opened up and in that space, possibilities that were not evident before began
to arise.
We may think of
insight as being a positive, bright lights, wonderful experience, but insight
can also appear in the midst of loss and crisis. In the midst of loss and
crisis, it can be like a roiling sea with waves of sadness, grief, anger, or
confusion. In Buddhism we sometimes use this metaphor with the turmoil of
circumstances being like the surface of the ocean and connecting with our
center as the calm depths, our feet on the ocean floor. However, it is
important to realize: it is all water. There can be the tendency to view the
deeper layer as valuable and to want to discard or deny the waves, which
include feelings, as superficial. Truly being with and penetrating the tears
and the feelings is insight. The surface and the depths are all sacred water. In
this past month, we as a sangha have experienced several losses of loved ones
and there are other sangha members who are seriously ill. Let us experience
fully the grief and the caring, the loss and the love. Let it break our heart
open. Like the paintings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, may we radiate
tenderness.
In this New Year’s Blessing, the topmost character that we
translated as “insight” is very interesting. The right side, 目 is
the character for “eye,” the left side 貴 is a character meaning “precious” or
“revered.” So together, it is like the eye that sees the value of everything. The
second character is 開, the character for “open,” and is like a picture of a
person going through a gate. There is also a Japanese pun here. This message
“KiKai” is also the sound of the Japanese word for “opportunity” or “possibility.”
May we in this coming year be open to all the precious
possibilities.
(For photos of how each year’s New Year’s Greeting is
created see http://shaoshantemple.blogspot.com/2018/12/new-years-greetings-are-coming.html
)
If you did not receive
a New Year’s Greeting and would like one, please speak with us next time you
are at the Temple!
