2021 New Year Message

I am writing this note to convey my best wishes and prayers for the New Year, 2021. Year 2020 has passed with many unpleasant experiences, such as Covid-19 pandemic, violence, conflicts, natural disasters and many other things.

As we all know that all these problems are human creations, as a direct result of greed-based globalized consumeristic competitive lifestyles of so-called post-modern civilization. The present situation is an indication of much more serious challenges awaiting ahead, which is threatening the existence of all living beings on this planet earth. It is high time to think about and do everything possible within our capacity. We cannot expect that a miracle transformation in human society will emerge by itself, nor we have the ability to bring such change immediately. Nevertheless, as a responsible individual, we must think about what we can do by ourselves at the personal level to create a constructive seed, which may cause to sprout some betterment in the future and also dissociate ourselves from the cause of global destruction.

At the same time, we may try to persuade people around us to whom we have some relation and influence. I, therefore, would like to recommend that we should consider how we can adopt a non-violent and eco-friendly lifestyle through the practice of localization, need-based utilization of commodities, self-sufficiency, no competitive way of living and cultivating unconditional lovingkindness to all sentient beings. By this way, we might be able to create a better self, through which, we may hope for a better humanity and better world. With this request, I wish you a very happy and meaningful New Year.

Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche