Happy New Year! Always a new day to awaken to Bodhi mind. What flows here and now is one life in service to all beings. Our inheritance from a long line of ancestors, ancient and current, inspires us and points out the Way. They have offered us many methods to clear our minds and hearts of the miseries of dissatisfaction, restlessness and affliction. We inherit their message to realize our larger self that extends to every corner of the universe and includes all that is. The Buddha said, “Be a lamp unto yourself. Work for your liberation with diligence.”
On Tuesday night we are celebrating the New Year together. How? At SJZC zazen comes first and then we ring the big bell 108 times. Each of us takes a turn ringing the bell, we all contribute our practice to the sangha jewel. You might wonder what the number 108 signifies? Well…
3 poisons (greed, hostility, ignorance of our true nature) X
6 senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and mind) X
3 times (past, present, future) X
2 internally generated or externally occurring.
3 x 6 x 3 x 2 = 108
Tolling the Bell of Mindfulness expresses our Bodhisattva vow as our first act of the new year. Each time the bell resounds we atone for our past harmful actions and a vow for the liberation of all suffering beings is released. It reverberates, resonating throughout the troubled world of samsara. Please join us for this ceremony which begins at 9:30pm this coming Tuesday night.