Akemashite Omedetoo Gozaimasu ( ‘Happy New Year’ ) By Rev. Earl Ikeda Happy New Year everyone! My wife Myra and I would like to extend our best wishes to all of you. Here’s hoping that everyone will enjoy a healthy and prosperous 2015! How quickly time flies! As of January 1, we will have been here in New York for ten months. Everyone has kindly accepted us and allowed us to share life together. It’s been a wonderful experience to feel the changes as we go through the seasons and a wonderful opportunity to truly appreciate all that we have. I hope everyone had a chance to make resolutions for the New Year. Some people say it doesn’t make sense to make resolutions if you’re going to forget them in a few days. But even if your memory of the resolutions doesn’t last, at least you had the opportunity to think about things when considering them. Consider the Japanese saying, “mikka bouzu,” which literally means, “Monk for three days,” and its relevance to resolutions. Things may look inviting, exciting, and easy. We become inspired, and so we make aspirations or wishes to become or do something. Often, we start with a bang but soon give up on our goal because we discover that it was too hard. Or we may realize it was something that we didn’t want to do or become after all. I think that this pattern—good intentions followed by second thoughts--is just human nature. Who doesn’t want to do or make things that are innovative or exciting? If we can overcome the “mikka bouzu” syndrome and its nuances, perhaps we will understand that it takes a lot of thinking and great amounts of will power to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves. To achieve some goals, it’s necessary to conduct a great deal of research to figure out how we can reach the final goal. We may realize we have to “come completely together” in our own way to make the commitment to reach that goal. I smile when I recall that the first resolution that I make each year is to eat healthfully and to follow a healthy lifestyle. I make great plans to find a good gym where I can exercise, and consider the cost, schedules, types of exercise, and other important factors. Similarly, I take great care to figure out the right foods to eat, the quantity I should eat, the cooking methods I should use to prepare the food, and other factors. As soon as the New Year passes, I eagerly arrive at the gym and proudly sign up for membership. Then I begin taking advantage of free advice from the gym assistants to achieve my goals. I go to the gym regularly, but then, either my body starts to ache, or I find I don’t have the time to continue. I can’t remember how many “reasons” (excuses) I made to stop going to the gym! Yes, the process of planning and thinking to achieve my goal of following a healthy lifestyle is important. And when I stray from the path to achieve my goals, I feel somewhat guilty, But that feeling also gives me that opportunity to quietly reflect inside. I often imagine the Buddha’s gentle smile embracing me for who and what I am, and quietly pondering on how to waken me to become more aware of truths of my personal life. At such times, the Buddha’s wondrous light brightens even more intensely and shines upon and embraces the real me, a simple foolish being struggling to make sense of everything. These moments of awakening to truths are rare and precious opportunities to connect with the Buddha, truth, and myself, the struggling simple-minded being. There is nothing that has no purpose. Even the concept of “mikka bouzu” is a path to personal enrichment and tranquility. Just recite the Buddha’s Name, Namo Amida Butsu
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 01:07:45 +0000