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Friday, January 1, 2016

A Japanese Zen Buddhist New Year's Prayer and a Drink of Sake




In Japan, it is customary for family and friends to get-together on New Year's morning and have sake and a toast along with some words - a sort of prayer - for the New Year.

 This year, I sat and had a cup of sake and the words of the speaker - a priest who survived World War II - really shook me in their solemnness, stark realism and simplicity. He said,

 "This next year may see the world full of war and no one knows what is going to happen to the economy. We may be seeing the start of the next great war and the next great depression.

 No one knows if they will even be alive tomorrow."

 He took a breath of exasperation - as if to suggest, "I've seen this all before" - and then he added,

 The best one can do is to always try their best and to protect their health and survive it."

 We all held our glasses high in the air and said, "Kanpai!" (cheers) and drank our sake.

I knew I was hearing the words of a very wise and experienced man.

 Do your best and also protect your health in 2016. Happy New Year! Be well.
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousDecember 5, 2016 at 5:16 AM

    It is interesting to look back eleven months on 2016 while reflecting on this story. In less than thirty days, we will be here again. What wars,economic events did happen. Who did and did not protect their health?

    ReplyDelete

Comments must be succinct & relevant to the story. Comments are checked frequently and abusive, rude or profane comments will be deleted. I’m just one of many bloggers who answer questions online and sometimes for the press. I usually handle questions about Japan, marketing or the economy, so in those areas I’m more likely to make sense and less likely to say something really stupid. If I post something here that you find helpful or interesting, that’s wonderful. This is my personal blog. If you don't like what you have read here then, just like when you go into a restaurant or bar that allows smoking, if you don't like it, there's something at the front that has hinges on it and it is called a "door."