Happy New Year of the Wooden Horse!
I hope that this closing year has been a fruitful one for all. It has been a very good one for us, blessing us with the birth of our delightful new granddaughter, Jetsunma Kunga Chimey Wangmo Sakya, who brings great joy to her parents, Ratna Vajra Rinpoche and Dagmo Kushok Kalden Dunkyi, as well as to her siblings and to her grandparents.
Our year was filled with Dharma activities, among which were the bestowal of precious teachings to numerous students in Europe, the U.S.A. and Singapore, alongside my younger son Gyana Vajra Rinpoche. Upon my return to India, I had the auspicious opportunity to undertake a strict retreat that has lasted until very recently.
Over the year, Ratna Vajra Rinpoche had the privilege of sharing Dharma teachings with many students here in India as well as in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Nepal as well as taking active part in innovative programmes designed to successfully bring our Dharma treasures into this modern era. And, following his European and American trips with His Holiness, Gyana Vajra Rinpoche was Vajra Master at our Annual Vajrakilaya Puja at the Sakya Centre and, more recently, conducted the Vajrakilaya Drupchod in Singapore.
And now, a fresh year is upon us, and with it a promise of inner and outer renewal. The Wooden Horse is a powerful symbol in Buddhism, with the horse representing energy and effort in the practice of Dharma and wood the material that shapes the Tree of Enlightenment. Astride such a horse, let us follow the example of the great yogis and strive to cut the root of samsara, to then gallop on the plains of great bliss toward enlightenment. I pray that every day of this new year may bring each one of us inexhaustible vigour and enthusiasm for spiritual growth, and unexcelled circumstances for the performance of enlightened activities.
May all beings be filled with the blessings of the Buddha and be utterly free of suffering. May they enjoy perfect joy and happiness.
The Sakya Trizin
