To the New Year - a poem from W. S. Merwin:

            With what stillness at last
            you appear in the valley
            your first sunlight reaching down
            to touch the tips of a few
            high leaves that do not stir
            as though they had not noticed
            and did not know you at all
            then the voice of a dove calls
            from far away in itself
            to the hush of the morning

            so this is the sound of you
            here and now whether or not
            anyone hears it this is
            where we have come with our age
            our knowledge such as it is
            and our hopes such as they are
            invisible before us
            untouched and still possible

     Yes, it’s been a year. Can we just leave it at that? We can all fill in the blanks - what a year of stress, stories, episodes, there is a lot to release, with a deep sigh we acknowledge it. So lets meet the turning season with what remains, what we are after all, that is - still intact and, after all, ready again for the turning of the day.

      Jikoji’s day to day existence as usual is just meditation and attending the temple. Nothing special, just business as usual. We continue to zoom out and meet the many hands of sangha. We are still together, and apart, and missing everyone, but with everyone, nothing is finished, nothing missing. Our existence is, as Issai put it:
                       A dewdrop world,
                          that is nothing but a dewdrop world
                             and yet...

     At Jikoji this new year’s practice was much quieter than usual. There must have been a hundred and eight bells but they all seemed like an exquisite dream, unsounded but still heard, and in this dream everything bowed to one another. This is our new year, and the world is turning. We are turning. Dogen Zenji said “...understand the wild birds and monkeys, the thoughts and emotions, have carried you away, and so just take the backward step and be unified, and when unified, in that place, you will turn things by being turned.”

    From Jikoji - a happy, healthy, safe new year to everyone. A “self-blessing” and a blessing extended to all, even that fearful one hiding behind you, to the all of the all, as far as we can imagine, and a bit further, just to be sure no one is missed. May we be the world, turn the world, while still being turned...