Mindfulness for a New Year

, 

                                                                                                                                Photo by Helen Lindsey

If enlightenment is not where you are standing, where will you find it? -- old Buddhist saying

I recently received a photograph of a beautiful gate from a friend, Helen Lindsey, with the words "Let's open the gate to a new year." The gate was made of wood with a pagoda-like header, surrounded by lovely plants and reminded me of a gate leading to a Buddhist temple.

It communicated to me a serene, grounded feeling as well as a sense of mystery, and the opportunity to enter a new place.

Gates are of course symbolic of entry into something different. Christianity embraces the idea of gates. There are the Gates to Heaven, where St. Peter checks you in, if you're so fortunate to be on his list. Conversely, there are  the Gates to Hell, and you know what that means, and the character who resides amidst the raging flames, ever ready to tempt your base desires, which supposedly will lead you inside his inferno.

Over the years I have let go of those gates. Letting go of bad juju, however it clings to your person, is advised by my Zen teacher.

My teacher would also point out that you cannot have Heaven without Hell, or good without bad, light without dark. Our duality of language defines its opposite, lest everything be the same. But, if everything is the same why would we want to fight, or steal or win? These are human games we play. We are very clever and much too smart for our own good.

Yet games are fun in themselves. In their essence, we find ourselves. Not to boast or gloat or humiliate but just to be in the moment, that thrill of being alive. To compete for the sake of competing. As cliche as it might sound, “it’s the journey not the destination."

When this Covid thing started there was talk of us slowing down and appreciating the simpler elements of life, like the feeling of sunshine on your skin when you're cold, or the flavor of the first bite of a good burrito, or the sensation of endorphins rushing through your body after exercise,  the comforting sound of a nostalgic song or melody ...

...  or perhaps the touch of the hand of someone you love, or maybe the sensual curve in a work of art or bend in a river, the scent of incense in a quiet room or fresh apple pie in your oven, a knowing smile from a friend, the satisfaction of making something with your own hands.

Handmade gate by Chris Meehan

I believe there is an essence, “life force,” that is inside each one of us, that holds us all together. My Zen teacher calls it a "suchness." It exists outside of language. Our community, our planet and our universe are all part of this totality. 

Have you ever wondered about the coincidences in your life? Why you find yourself among like-minded people? How the fickle finger of fate has determined who you are? Each tiny element in your life has been a factor in forming you.

This is a beautiful thing. We are all different, yet alike. Remember our duality of language. There can be no same without different. This is the irony of who we are. This concept can be embraced through the metaphor of a gate.

Let us open the gate to better understanding of both our limits and our unlimited imaginations and how they can bring us, and hold us, together.

As an elder -- a kupuna in Hawaiian -- I like to believe that I am wiser as the years go by, that I must have learned something over seven-plus decades. My wisdom, if I can be so bold, has taught me to listen, consider, not fall victim to anger, be forgiving of others and myself. I am still working on compassion and understanding and I hope to be there sooner than later.

Twenty-twenty has not been a good year for understanding since our common reality was not only challenged, but called a "hoax," by a false leader.

My teacher would remind me that enlightenment is transitory. Anyone who walks around claiming to be enlightened is most likely a charlatan. 

Here's hoping 2021 will be our year. Simply enter the gate while being mindful of each precious step.

"In making the handle

 of an axe

By cutting wood with an axe

The model is indeed near at hand."

                      from 'Wen Fu' by Lu Ji, Fourth Century AD     

"When making an axe handle

The pattern is not far off."   

                     Ezra Pound, 1915     

"We'll shape the handle

By checking the handle

Of the axe we cut with"

                        Gary Snyder, 1983