December 2019
Dear Friends,
We might wonder, sometimes, how to navigate the holiday season—with all the expectations, family dramas and emotions on full display. Issa, a Japanese haiku poet and lay Buddhist priest of the 18th century, wrote this famous poem that I’ve found to be immensely encouraging in this regard.
The man pulling radishes
Pointed the way
With a radish.
Simple and profound, direct and true. We do what we are in the midst of doing.
I may be shopping for ingredients for a holiday meal; a dog barks at the corner; a tree lets go of the last of its leaves. Already the pathway is clear. The teaching is already given and received. We need not feel lost or overwhelmed when we shine a light on our moment’s world. And as we gain confidence in our practice, we are, simultaneously, pointing out the way to others.
As the coming holidays unfold, may we find peace and joy, and our original true home…
How many people stay in a worrying dream? The great one's original home is everywhere. One KATZ! sound breaks the whole world. Plum flowers fly in the snow. (by Master Hahn Yong Un)
Yours, in amongst the 10,000 dharmas,
Jeong Ji
