These ceremonies and celebrations are a great way to end one year and begin the new! Here's what's happening at Windhorse:
On Saturday, Dec. 31, the Center will open at 7:00pm. Tea will be available as people congregate, with a fire in the hearth if it’s cold enough outside. Formal zazen begins at 7:30, followed by all the ceremonies—quiet and noisy—that will help us enter 2012 feeling renewed, with cleansed minds and open hearts. We end with a candlelit circle, everyone reading a few lines of the New Year's Prayer (see below), together beaming out many wishes for peace and happiness for all on the planet.
Afterward, we'll have the festive New Year's Morning Potluck Brunch. What a deal: just bring your favorite brunch dish, and enjoy an entire feast! Please also bring, for the ceremonies, a (non-earsplitting) noisemaker and a sweet-sounding bell if you have one, for the bell- ringing ceremony. Robes, of course, are optional.
Those of you who’ve never participated in a Windhorse New Year's Eve may imagine the schedule below to be daunting. Rest assured, it is a beautiful evening, rich with significance, and it all moves along with surprising speed. The actual schedule, by the way, may be a bit different, depending on how long Circle takes, etc. – this is just our best guess.
And finally--if you intend to come, we'd love to hear from you beforehand if possible, to ease our planning process. Let us know if you’d like to stay over, too, to avoid driving that night after we finish. A number of people will be coming from out of town and will be staying over; we can always make room for more.
Hope to see you for the Great Turning!
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7:00 Gathering; zendo open
7:30-9:00 Zazen with kinhin (three 25 min. rounds), and a short talk on the
significanc
9:05 Circle: Taking Stock / Inviting in the New (You may want to be
reflecting on this in advance: What patterns or tendencies, for
example, would you like to let go of; what new ways of being do you
want to nourish in this new year?)
Chanting: Three Treasures
10:50 Break (a quiet time: tea available, people put instruments and
bells on their mats, can review the New Year's Prayer if they wish)
11:00 Zazen facing out; Altar Purifications
Circumambul
Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakyamuni Sva Ha!'
Noisemaking
Temple Energy-clearing)
Bell-
Chanting of the Heart Sutra
Renewing the Precepts
Special Dedication of Merit
Midnight 4 Vows, standing bows
Circle set up; lighting & distributing of candles
New Year's Prayer
Final bell-ringing, in circle, then exiting zendo
Music & New Year's Morning Potluck Brunch
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New Year’s Prayer
May all beings, as numberless as the stars, who are suffering pain of body and mind, obtain, through the merit of our practice, true peace and fulfillment!
May the earth be fertile and the seasons in order, and may all live in harmony with nature.
May great spreading trees again shade our continents, and may mountains and hills be covered with wildflowers—purple, red and gold.
May the air we breathe be invigorating, and may lakes and rivers run clear and pure. May the oceans be cleansed of pollutants, and may whales, dolphins, and all sea creatures once more swim freely through sparkling waters.
May deer and coyote, pheasant and rabbit, and all other beings of forest and field, be safe from the hunter’s bow and gun.
May all creatures with whom we share this earth be treated with care and respect. May animal pens and slaughterhouses be replaced by orchards and fields of grain.
May the millions who suffer from hunger and starvation receive nourishment, and may they find the means to sustain themselves. Those without homes, who face poverty and cold--may they be sheltered and warm.
Those who have lost their jobs, may they find work that sustains and fulfills them. May each person lead an upright life, using his or her talents for the good of all.
May those who hold public office be honest and noble. May they rise above greed and narrow interests, becoming true vehicles of service.
May we find cures for cancer, AIDS, and other grave illnesses; and may we learn to embrace the suffering of others with compassion and understanding.
Those who have endured abuse and trauma, may they experience deep healing. May all who are disabled and defenseless be protected, supported and loved.
May people everywhere be released from the grip of addiction to drugs and alcohol, and may they realize their inborn freedom and wholeness.
May those confined in prisons repent of their crimes and find renewal. Those who are unjustly condemned, who are tortured and who face execution, may they be patient and strong of heart. May they bear no hatred toward their oppressors, and may they be freed.
May the gunshots that tear apart our cities fall silent, and may the bloodshed cease.
May ethnic conflict rooted in the past give way to mutual respect and forgiveness, and may all clans, tribes, and nations realize their kinship within the human family.
May we learn to live and work together in communities of peace. May the hearts of all be cleansed of greed, hatred, and ignorance, and may violence be no more.
May prejudice against those of different color, religion and sexual orientation be forever cleansed from our hearts. May women and men respect and support one another in word and deed.
May the elderly be honored and well cared for, and may children everywhere be nourished with love and respect.
May the fear and anxiety, frustration and bitterness that plague the minds of so many, dissolve, and may those who are self-doubting find clarity and strength.
May the elixir of Dharma circulate freely throughout the world, bringing sustenance to all. May all beings hear the true Dharma, know it in their hearts, and practice it with joy.
May those who seek the Way find teachers of true Understanding. May all who circle through the Six
Realms find refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and may their blind wanderings come to an end.
May we all forge upstream against the forces of delusion, and attain true liberation. Let us vow that as long as earth and sky shall last, we will continue on this path--not for ourselves alone, but to dispel the darkness of the world.
All: At this moment, the beginning of a New Year, we earnestly pray that strife and dissension shall be no more, that Love shall radiate from the hearts of all people, and that all shall attain Perfect Peace!
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