May I extend my warmest New Year’s greetings to all of you. I trust that you have been able to welcome in the New Year in bright spirits. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation for the efforts you devoted to the tasks of the path during the past year.
We borrow our body from God the Parent and are thus being kept alive by the constant divine blessings. Let all of us, therefore, commit ourselves to cultivating the mind of gratitude and the spirit of making repayment so as to respond to God’s boundless parental love. Also, let all of us seek to translate the joy of living into actions of hinokishin—starting with whatever we can—as well as efforts to sprinkle the fragrance of the teachings and engage in salvation work.
I sincerely hope that we followers of the path will unite our minds again this year and continue our steady efforts to take further steps forward on the path of single-hearted salvation.
New Year’s Day
Zenji Nakayama
The Shinbashira