This year’s expressions in the sky look very different from
last year. The weather experts are saying that this year will be a warm winter
in Japan. But I think it will be different. I think there will be a mixture of
very warm and very cold days. The gap between the warm days and the cold days
will be very big and we will have extreme weathers with some heavy snowfall in
a short amount of time. The average temperature for this winter may be higher
than the average year, but we must pay attention to the day to day differences.
This kind of mixed weather will cause more expenses in the
preparation. The snow tires are not cheap. However, even one day of big
snowfall, without these snow tires, accidents could happen and there is no
guarantee if the insurance will cover in such case. If your insurance
didn’t cover for the accident, and if it involved injuring another person, you
may even have to sell your house, a real nightmare.
Know that extreme weather could really change your life upside
down. In addition, these kinds of weather would affect not only the humans but
the animals as well.
For example, the bears may not able to get into
hibernation and they may come out unexpectedly. If you think getting into the
forest is safe during the winter, it may not be the case this winter. The kind
of bears that live in the main island of Japan, could well kill a man if they
are really hungry. When you are paying a visit to the shrines deep inside the
mountain, make sure you carry a bell. The sound of a bell will also keep the spirits
away. The bad spirits do not like the metallic ringing sounds.
In the traditional Buddhist funeral, they use a metallic sound
like a gong to guide the deceased to lead to the next dimension, and to cut-off
their emotional attachment toward the life they just passed. This makes sense
in a spiritual way.
These past hundred years, the forests are diminishing. And one
theory says the cause of this could be coming from the town lights lighting up
all night and that may be the cause of their decay. During the dark hours, the
leaves go into photosynthetic activity. But when there is light all day,
their natural cycle is out of order and weakens the health of nature.
Having said that, we humans also need to have this variation in
our daily lives. When we work we need to work fully. And then, we need to rest
fully and deeply as well. In much larger scale, when we are living in
this dimension, we should enjoy “motion” and when we go into the life
after-death, we enjoy the “stillness.”
In many ways, when the contrasts of light and dark or black and
white start to fade away, it is life threatening to all living creatures. I had
a revelation a while ago that the Days of Miroku is coming soon when the four
seasons are fading away. Feel how these all tie together. And enjoy every
moment by living through this time. We will live it through together.
Ikashite-itadaite
Arigato-gozaimasu
I am grateful to be
led to live this life
生かして頂いて 有り難う御座います
