“… through devotion to the three treasures — buddha, dharma and sangha, which we can understand as practice, teaching and community — as our greed, aversion and delusion naturally dwindle, so do humility, gratitude and compassion spontaneously come forward …” ~ Henry Shukman
As I (Sanjiv) reflected on the New Year’s message for us, synchronicity brought a message that was relevant and resonated for me …. so wanted to share it along.
The following text is authored by Henry Shukman and it is his New Year’s message to the Mountain Cloud Zen Center Community … some portion of the text is excluded.
When we find the Dharma, we don’t need anything else. Wealth, status, good name, comfort — they lose whatever hold they may have had. In effect, they vanish. Once we really find the Dharma, we don’t even need life any more. We don’t even need the Dharma any more, because at last it’s clear what it has been all along.
As the practitioner Jeff Shore says in his article “Rinzai Zen in the modern world”: “Zen only comes to life when one is dependent on nothing, within or without.”
In Sanbo Zen, our deepest intention is to be dedicated to the most thorough practice and liberation, and to pass it on to anyone interested. We therefore don’t dress up ceremonially or address ourselves with honorific titles – these would be counter to a Dharma that can’t be found without clarifying no-self and true emptiness.
Instead, through devotion to the three treasures — buddha, dharma and sangha, which we can understand as practice, teaching and community — as our greed, aversion and delusion naturally dwindle, so do humility, gratitude and compassion spontaneously come forward.
…. May we all grow in love and compassion toward our fellow creatures on this earth, human and non-human, so many of whom toil and struggle to survive and thrive, often against very difficult circumstances.
May love and kindness be the guiding lights we kindle at this dark time of the year. May the year’s turning light up a new glow of warmth in our hearts, toward whoever needs our love in the coming days and months. And may the flame of love that never ceases burning in our hearts be clearly felt by us all.
Happy New Year! ….
May it bring ever deepening peace and contentment in every regard!
Images: (all edited and logo added) 1 and Featured) Composite of Hands United by truthseekr08 & Community by vait_mcright, both are CCO Public Domain.
