I hope everyone had an enjoyable Winter Holiday Break filled with family and friends. On January 31st, we looked back on the events of 2003. With its many twists and turns, it was not an easy year. It was one that, on many level, seemed to have more than it’s share of sadness and loss. And on that evening, I mentioned that although New Year’s Eve was a very natural time of reflection on events past, and on New Year’s Day, we cannot help but wonder what the future will bring. In Buddhism, the focus has always been on the Moment that is now.
One description of the Dharma Path that is often used by Zen Masters has been to describe Buddhism as a “Journey into now.” We must find our way to the moment that is now, the “ever changing present.”
When we think about time, watches, and clocks indicate the passing of hours and minutes each day, calendars marking the 7 days of each week, the twelve months and the coming of a New Year. These are all inventions of human beings that are helping to uniformly mark the passage of time. With clocks and calendars we measure the distant past and assess the infinite future. Human beings, we invented time so that we can sense where we are in the “ever changing moment.” And so that my wife, Yukari, can accurately point to the device on her wrist and say to me, “You’re late.”
In a way, accurate time measurement may be somewhat stress producing. With the ticking of each second, it feels like the day is tirelessly marching on. How much more relaxing it might be if I told Yukari I will met her “when the sun is low in the sky…”
Actually, the 24 hour clock that measures our basic day is not truly accurate. It is off by about 6 hours each year, therefore; every four years, we add a day. And February 29th is invented every leap year to adjust our time measurement. And every few thousand years, we must make another calendar correction for the few lost minutes. This way, we won’t find ourselves eventually celebrating Christmas in what would be July. Besides the decimal system, that most of the world uses is based on the fact that we have 10 fingers and 10 toes. So to us, Human Beings, ten is a number that naturally signifies that which is whole and complete.
The Western Calendar we use today once had only 10 months to each year. It felt somehow natural that a complete year should be measured by 10 segments. Then along came 2 Roman Emperors who decided they wanted a month named after them too. Thus they changed the Calendar and added new Months for Julius and Augustus Caesar. So today, we have July and August! In fact, September, October, November and December mean the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th month of the year. If we were a Roman Emperors we could change how the world viewed time!
Clocks and Calendars and New Years are Man made devices and concepts to help mark the passage of time. To designate the time of day and signal the New Cycle of Seasons for Planting, Growing and Harvesting. However, in Buddhism, we are taught that Every Day, Every Moment is an Ending and a New beginning.
The point I am trying to make here is to remember again that The Dharma Path is ALWAYS a journey to the PRESENT. It is constantly trying to find our way to now and live fully in the ever changing moment. In Buddhism, the journey is to live each moment well. For if we live each moment well, we cannot help, in time, to look back on a life well lived.
Let us remember again to try to appreciate each day, .rain or shine, hot or cold, at work or at play. Appreciate and live as best we can, each day and each moment of this New Year, 2004. For such is a life of Nembutsu.
Thank you for your kindness and support throughout the last year. I look forward to another wonderful year together.
Namo Amida Butsu
Tatsuya Aoki
