Lunar New Year, Luck, & Superstition
There are sentient beings who solely think on Amida Buddha; only these people are constantly illumined by the light of that Buddha’s heart, grasped and protected, never to be abandoned. - Shinran Shonin, from Ichinen-tanen mon'i (Notes on Once-Calling and Many-Calling)
All around the world, people - including a vast number of Buddhists - are celebrating the arrival of the Lunar New Year, also called Chinese New Year in many parts of the world. It is common practice to celebrate with parades and parties that include rituals and charms to bring good luck, fortune telling, and practices to help guarantee prosperity and health. This year’s celebrations usher in the Year of the Dragon, the most mystical and magical of all the signs of the Chinese zodiac. It is a very special time indeed! Many would say it is an “auspicious” time. And in that lies a bit of a dilemma for many of us whose beliefs eschew such superstition. Luckily, there is a way for us to both partake in the fun and avoid succumbing to the seduction of practices designed to deliver or enrich us.
The hullabaloo surrounding the Lunar New Year can raise a very interesting problem for many followers of the Jodo Shinshu path. These rituals, practices, and magical items that are so central to the celebration are indicative of what we call ‘self-power’, i.e., they are things people believe they can obtain for themselves to guarantee their ‘salvation’ in this life and the next. As such, they run counter to our belief that it is only the Compassionate Vow of Amida, or ‘other power’ (Tariki in Japanese) that can do this. Thus to put our faith in these other things would distract us from the power of Amida’s Vow and contradict the teachings of Master Shinran himself. The quote that I share above is just one of many where Shinran reminds us that it is Amida’s great compassion alone that will bring us bliss. What’s a Shinshu to do?
Happily, none of this means that we cannot take part in the Lunar New Year fun. Jodo Shinshu is an engaged way of life that is very much in touch with the here and the now and everyone and everything in it. Our reliance on the compassion of Amida gives us the space we need to recognize and make the best of our interconnectedness to all that is around us. There is real cultural and social significance to the practices and accoutrements surrounding the Lunar New Year that should not be missed out on. It is a great time to be present with all of the excitement and introspection that this time has to offer. The crux of the issue hinges on something I mentioned earlier and that is where we put our faith. So long as we see these rituals and talismans for what they are culturally, historically, and socially, and keep our actual faith in the Compassionate Vow of Amida Buddha, we do not stray from what Shinran taught.
So yes, you can feel free to enjoy the parades and parties, pick up a pretty omamori, and stick a grinning dragon on your shelf. Just remember that as cute and fun as they may all be, none of it will do anything more to get us into the Pure Land. That’s already been accomplished for us! And if that in and of itself is not enough reason to celebrate, I do not know what is. Who’s dragon dancing with me?
