New Year Message

Dear friends and fellow practitioners,

The past two years have reminded us of the impermanence unfolding right before our eyes - the impermanence of health and life, the impermanence of physical freedom and freedom of speech, the impermanence of higher values and integrity, the impermanence of intimate and professional relationships, the impermanence of security and peace. The string of events had generated an energy resembling an inexorably rising wave, darkening the sky on its way, giving the impression that the world had once again entered a period of darkness. Although the inquisitors are not wearing ecclesiastical vestments this time and the burning to death has been replaced by closures of bank accounts, disruptions of the professional paths and social media bans, the punishers act with the same motives as they did a few centuries ago and the punished are once again viewed as heretics sharing the misinformation. History repeats itself and although human suffering may have taken on a modern face, it has remained essentially the same, born of the unconscious human mind bringing fear, anxiety, insecurity, anger or hatred to the surface.

Not much has changed in human nature since Socrates, Jesus, or Buddha lived. As in their time, and in the time before them, so today, the source of and solution to human suffering remain unchanged. Only anawakened consciousness can help people see the path that leads to ultimate freedom. And although this statement has been read countless times in many books, sacred and secular, and has been repeated in the same or different words and languages, the belief that the message is clear is illusory, because the wisdom contained therein is not actually assimilated and therefore cannot hold the stand in practice. People still find it difficult to accept that everything that comes their way serves only one purpose - to learn a life lesson that had not been mastered yet. The lesson that could seemingly relate to our role in society but is always about a realization of our most intimate nature and the whole existence of which we are a part. This is the path of the birth of a higher consciousness, and therefore, like any other birth, it will always be accompanied by pain. In other words, if we are to manifest true wisdom and compassion whether on an individual or collective level, we must go through the fires of suffering.

And the past few years have been nothing less than walking the path through fire. The path that taught us the lesson about the impermanence of everything – of what we label good and what we label bad. We were given the opportunity to see the illusion that this what we love can be kept forever. Nothing is static and nothing can remain unchanged. Not even the greatest happiness and brightest light. And we are constantly confronted with new difficulties just to learn to surrender to the natural flow of life. Indeed, until we learn that there is no point in clinging to something that has made us happy or in despairing over something that makes us unhappy, we will encounter hardship along the way. Basically, our attachment to good times and rejection of bad times is nothing more than trying to swim upstream or to forcefully escape the whirlpool. Unless we understand that, we will keep draining our life energy, and encounter pain. The river, namely, always continues its course, regardless of our efforts. It does not care about our likes or dislikes.

To the unconscious mind, the white-water passages or the darkness that veils the light, will always seem to appear suddenly, which is why, under the stress, most people are fully engulfed in pain, left with no hope of ever reaching safe shore or seeing the light again.

That why is the hardship of the last few years of great importance. With all what we have experienced, we have been given the opportunity to realize that while we are unable to prevent the rising wave of darkness, we are the ones feeding that wave. So, whether the wave reaches negligible strength, the strength of a hard-to-ride maverick, or the strength of a tsunami that smothers everything under its mass, it will ultimately depend on us. For just as the individual and collective karma contributes to the power of the rising darkness, so does the level of awakened consciousness contribute to the rising of the light. Therefore, it is clear how important it is to hold to and cultivate the virtue of good thoughts, good habits, and good deeds if we want to increase the level of good karma and the light within us and in the world.

So let the new year begin with the hope that everyone will hear that inner voice of the dormant consciousness and wake up before the tsunami takes its toll.

With the blessings of all the awakened ones who still live on this Earth serving others as Bodhisattvas, and with the blessings of all Buddhas who have already left the world of earthly suffering, may everyone in the year 2023 aspire to cultivate generosity and gratitude, and thereby create enough merit so that life can flow in harmony and peace. May we all maintain a mind able to resist the madness of the Ego and instead bring forth compassion, kindness and wisdom. May all find their way to awakening and see the wave of rising light.

From my heart to your heart

Raihai*

Doka Sensei

*prostration