Wish for the New Year 1980

From the Venerable Master Hua

      It's the New Year, and we don't want the old anymore. We want to change it for the new. We want to get rid of our old habits and faults, our greed, hatred and stupidity, exchanging them for new courageous vigor, dhyana samadhi, and wisdom, that is, precepts, samadhi and wisdom. This year's people should not be so spineless like the people of last year, but should greatly raise up their spirits and make a firm resolve to cultivate the Way.

Last year there wasn't any accomplishment, and it's already past. This year there has to be a great accomplishment. Particularly this year each person should constantly make transference to the world, to dispel calamities and prevent difficulties in the world, so there are no disasters of weapons and wars, or water or fire, or plagues and epidemics, and so that all people will be happy and all countries at peace. For this is supposed to be a very difficult year to get through, and so we should use the power of influence of everyone cultivating together to change this year. If there are disasters, we should change them into auspicious events. If there are wars, we must turn them into peace, and bring happiness to the refugees so they don't have so many hardships. The best would be if all the boat people were put on airplanes, becoming plane people and flying to other countries. So I hope all of you will be courageously vigorous, and diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi and wisdom, and put to rest greed, hatred and stupidity, and use the merit and virtue from your cultivation to make transference to all living beings of the Dharma Realm, so they all leave suffering and attain to bliss, end birth and cast off death.

This year for the first time I'm writing a four line verse to commemorate the New Year:

NOW WE HAVE REACHED THE YEAR NINETEEN EIGHTY,

AND ALL ARE INVITED TO BOARD TOE DHARMA BOAT,

AND TOGETHER ROAM TOE FLOWER ADORNMENT VAIROCANA SEA,

THEN ASCEND THE WONDROUS LOFTY MOUNT OF ULTIMATE BLISS.

This year, 1980, I really invite you to board the Dharma Boat. Before it wasn't finished, but this year it is all built, so all get on board...to go where? To steer the boat together within the Flower Adornment Sutra, inside the sea of the Vairocana Nature, together investigating the principles of the Flower Adornment Sutra, afterwards going to the most wonderful, highest and most blissful mountain: the position of Buddhahood.