New Year's Eve – Where Cause and Effect Resides, and the Power of Goodness

Where are you on New Year's Eve? Sitting warmly with your family, or immersing yourself in the solemn atmosphere of a temple? For Thầy Thích Chân Quang, the answer is not merely a choice, but a mirror reflecting your own cause and effect (karmic law).

"Wherever a person chooses to spend New Year's Eve, that is where their cause and effect will reside."

New Year's Eve – A Mirror of the Heart

On New Year's Eve, while most people gather with their families, there are those who have chosen the temple as their loving home to return to. According to Thầy Quang, this reflects a deep and heartfelt devotion. Some people cannot leave their families, yet do not want to be away from the temple, so they bring their whole family to the temple to welcome the New Year. Thầy considers this a solution "beyond wonderful." This shows that when we choose where to place our most sacred moments, we are also choosing the direction of our cause and effect.

The World This Past Year: Upheavals and Lessons in Cause and Effect

Looking back on the year, the world has witnessed much loss and sorrow. From mysterious plane disappearances and bloody conflicts, to economic crises. Thầy Quang points out that all of these are the consequences of the collective karma that humanity has created. When people harbor too much ill will, even the deities and heavenly beings must turn away, leaving sentient beings to bear their own burdens. But there is still hope. It is precisely because of good people that Vietnam has been protected from many calamities, such as the superstorm that suddenly changed its course.

Miracles Come Only When We Are Worthy

Many people wonder why their prayers never seem to bring miracles. Thầy Quang explains that miracles only occur when people have a kind heart. When we live virtuously, we attract the attention of the deities. But if we live wickedly, we are not worthy of protection. Remember that each of us can receive miracles in life – those moments when, after feeling helpless, good fortune suddenly appears. This happens not by chance, but because we planted wholesome seeds long before.

"We must first live virtuously, and then naturally we will attract the attention of the deities."

Goodness Must Spread to Be Truly Good

Thầy Quang reminds us that a good deed is only truly good when it spreads to others. If a hermit lives virtuously in the mountains, keeping a peaceful mind only for himself, that goodness is still not enough. He says: "A good deed is only called truly good when it can spread to another person." We practice not only for our own liberation, but also to help others progress alongside us. This is precisely how we protect the world from misfortune.

"A good deed is only called truly good when it can spread to another person."

The Joy of the Noble and the Joy of the Ordinary

In life, we often rejoice over worldly matters: children getting married, gaining fame and fortune, or reuniting with old friends. That is the joy of ordinary people. But the joy of the noble ones comes when our mind/heart is pure and light, and we attain an understanding of impermanence (anicca) and non-self (anatta). Thầy Quang advises that if we merely remain resting in meditative concentration, we are still ordinary. Only when we use that purity to contemplate the true nature of body and mind do we step into the wisdom of the noble ones.

"What does the noble one rejoice in? Rejoicing when the mind/heart becomes pure, lighter, free from self-grasping."

Each of us can contribute to protecting the world by spreading goodness. Let us begin with the smallest things: a word of encouragement, an act of kindness, an inner transformation. This is how we welcome the New Year in peace and create a peaceful year for all.