In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice happens on 21 December. This the darkest day (least amount of sunlight), but now the days will get longer and the light will return. The word "solstice" comes from the Latin word "solstitum," with means "the standing still of the sun." In other words, the sun will pause.

In our meditations, we breathe in, pause, breathe out, pause. If we count our breaths (one, two, three...), we often find our minds wandering and we have to start again with "one."

The Solstice is a time to start again.  In your meditations, and in your life, try to notice (and honor) when you have to start again.

This quote is from a 2017 article in Tricycle magazine: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/winter-solstice-buddhism/

"The winter solstice serves as a reminder for us to let everything go, and begin again—not just on December 21st or January 1st, but on any given day, in any given moment."

Oh the joy of missing out.
When the world begins to shout
And rush towards that shining thing;
The latest bit of mental bling–
Trying to have it, see it, do it,
You simply know you won't go through it;
The anxious clamoring and need
This restless hungry thing to feed.
Instead, you feel the loveliness;
The pleasure of your emptiness.
You spurn the treasure on the shelf
In favor of your peaceful self;
Without regret, without a doubt.
Oh the joy of missing out!
—Michael Leunig (Australian cartoonist, poet, artist, philosopher, and cultural commentator)

This poem feels appropriate for this time of year, when holiday consumerism fuels our desires for the latest bling, the hottest party, the brightest lights. As Leunig says, we must do it all, see it all, have it all. Our fear of missing out (FOMO) can drive desire, greed, envy, and rob us of peace. When FOMO pulls you away from your center, take some time to reflect on JOMO (joy of missing out).

Recently, the UUFN Zen Meditation Group met for a retreat, which included a sitting meditation, a moving meditation (Qigong), and a walking meditation. Each style of meditation offered a chance to be mindful of our surroundings and bodies in various environments.

Many of us walk to get from one place to another, and most of the time we walk on auto-pilot, unaware that we are even walking. We are lost in thought, processing a to-do list, talking on the phone, or listening to music or a podcast.

But to walk mindfully is to be aware of our surroundings: hearing sounds, noticing smells, feeling changes in temperature, sensing the ground beneath our feet.

Consider adding mindful walking to your practice this week.

In the book “In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying” by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, he explains that the word “Bardo” is “commonly used to describe an intermediate state between one life and the next; also understood as stages in one’s journey through life and death…” These stages could be physical processes (from birth to death, from awake to sleep, e.g.) or states of mind or being (changing jobs, moving to a new town, e.g.). Each bardo stage provides us the opportunity to recognize and experience reality.

One stage, the Bardo of Becoming, is the stage where the mind has left a familiar pattern, and seeks to re-identify in a new form. But this requires a steady mind while being submerged in a new, unfamiliar environment. Can we accept the truth of reality that everything changes and there is no firm ground beneath us, or will we implode and fall apart? This in-between time can be difficult unless we have cultivated mental equanimity, balance, evenness of thought.

We can familiarize ourselves with the concept of the bardo during meditation. We breathe in, pause, breathe out, pause. Those pauses are transitions to a new state. However miniscule that moment is, it can offer us insight into the constantly changing world around us. We don’t try to hold on to the in-breath, nor the pauses, nor the out breath. Instead, we begin to experience the subtleness of constant change.

Consider what you will do the next time your planned life is interrupted by undesired events. What will you do in the Bardo of Becoming, the time between the death of the old you and the birth of the new you?

Thich Nhat Hanh died on January 22, 2022. We will take some time to celebrate his life and wish him well on his "continuation." Because of his global influence, many locations are holding remembrance services as listed on the Plum Village Memorial page: https://plumvillage.org/memorial/

Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a monk at age 16. When war came to Vietnam, monks and nuns were confronted with the question of whether to stay meditating in the monasteries, or to help those around them suffering. The Vietnamese Buddhist establishment was largely apolitical, but Thich Nhat Hanh believed Buddhists had to engage directly with people’s suffering — and that meant getting involved in the political life of the nation. In doing so, he founded the Engaged Buddhism movement, and became a tireless peace activist.

In 1966, he traveled to the US and Europe as part of his quest for peace, meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr, and others proposing an end to the war. As a result of this mission both North and South Vietnam denied him the right to return to Vietnam, and he began a long exile in France.

There is so much more to "Thay's" story, and you are encouraged to learn more through some of these links:
https://www.lionsroar.com/the-life-of-thich-nhat-hanh/
https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/biography/

At the end of October, many communities and religions take time to recognize the passing of loved ones and honor ancestors. All Hallows' Eve (31 October), All Hallows' Day (1 November), All Souls' Day (2 November), and The Day of the Dead (1-2 November) are some examples.

Each Wednesday, our Sangha prepares for sitting meditation with an invocation that begins "We offer this incense to all buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout space and time..."  Although we don't light the incense (out of respect to those with sensitivities), it's our way to recognize the non-linear connection to our ancestors who have come and gone before us, and who will come and go after us.

In the Upajjhatthana Sutra, Buddha teaches that there are five subjects (The Five Remembrances) that we need to think about, even though most people find the topics frightening, distasteful, and very uncomfortable. But, in meditation, we are encouraged to contemplate these items intentionally to see the impermanence and unsubstantiality of these subjects.  They are all simply a part of human existence, and to resist or deny these topics will cause suffering.

The Five Remembrances:
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.
I am of the nature to die. The is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My deeds are my closest companions. I am the beneficiary of my deeds. My deeds are the ground upon which I stand.

This challenging topic around judgment was brought up by Abe.

First point:  A recent headline reported that a Buddhist juror on the fraud case against Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was removed from the jury because she told the judge she can’t in good conscience vote for a prison sentence, and that sending Holmes to prison for a “long, long time” would be “my fault” and weigh too heavily on her conscience.
Holmes Juror Is Off Case Over Buddhist Qualms About Prison
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-06/buddhist-juror-excused-from-holmes-case-over-qualms-about-prison

Second point:  A similar issue about Buddhists’ objection to passing judgement came up in 2011 when the Dali Lama was a guest judge on the MasterChef Australia, and refused to render judgments on the dishes. He said, "As a Buddhist monk it is not right to prefer this food or that food."
The Buddhist art of nonjudgmental judging is subtle
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/jul/20/buddhist-dalai-lama-masterchef

Third point:  But Stephen J. Fortunato, Jr., an associate justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court sees that he can bring his Buddhist practice to his responsibilities as a trial judge.
Judging with a nonjudgmental mind
https://tricycle.org/magazine/judging-nonjudgmental-mind/

So what is YOUR opinion on this subject?

When the Zen Meditation group meets on September 15, 2021, it will be the beginning of the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.

In the Zen tradition, we often chant the Gatha of Atonement.  A Gatha is a short verse used as a focal point of practice. Atonement means reparation for a wrong or injury. In Zen, we often think of it as  “at-one-ment” —being at one with the big mess of the situation as it is, taking responsibility for the full catastrophe.

The Gatha of Atonement:
All evil karma ever committed by me since of old;  Because of my beginningless greed, anger, and ignorance; Born of my body, speech, and mind; Now I atone for it all.

In our Zen practice, we must be able to include, hold, and name our inevitable failures. Falling short, we discover and reveal our humanness and the work we still have to do. Atonement is a process of clear-eyed acknowledgement and deep acceptance.

Labor Day weekend is when we take a moment to celebrate "the social and economic achievements of American workers.”  It originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters, when the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living, plus children as young as 5-6 were working in mines, factories, and mills.

So when I am remembering and honoring those who work hard to provide some of my basic necessities, is it fair to honor them by doing nothing, by not working, by just sitting in meditation?

You can answer for yourselves, but my answer is ‘yes,” I think it is a nice way to honor them, to sit in awareness of all that I have because of the labor of many others.

How will you celebrate Labor Day?