“The light of Amida’s compassion
Shines throughout the ten quarters;
Those who encounter this light
Are grasped and never abandoned.”
— Shinran Shōnin, Kōsō Wasan
During the holiday season, time seems to move differently. December suddenly rushes toward us, and before we realize it, Christmas is only days away. For many of us, this is a season filled with memory, warmth, and reflection. It has always been my favorite time of year, and like many of you, I have my own rituals—one of them is watching Christmas movies.
Every year, I find myself drawn back to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. There are countless versions now, from the familiar classics to modern reimaginings. Yet the heart of the story remains the same: awakening. Ebenezer Scrooge is not an evil man, but a familiar one. In Shin Buddhist language, he is a bombu—an ordinary being shaped by blind passions and fear. The spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future do not punish him. They simply show him his life.
This is how the Dharma works. It does not condemn us. It reveals us to ourselves.
Christmas comes during the darkest time of the year. Long nights invite us to reflect on loss, regret, gratitude, and hope. The light of Christmas does not deny the darkness; it shines within it. The Dharma does the same. The nembutsu is not a demand placed upon us, but a response to a compassion that has always been there.
In Jōdo Shinshū, this season also includes Hōonko, the memorial service for Shinran Shōnin. Hōonko is a time of deep listening and gratitude—gratitude not only for Shinran, but for the causes and conditions that have made the Nembutsu available to us. We do not gather for Hōonko to praise a founder, but to reflect on the immeasurable compassion that continues to reach us through his life and teachings.
This spirit of awakening appears again in a simple Dharma School story about a young boy named Taylor. Proud of his family’s traditions, Taylor explains how his family celebrates the holidays—family meals, saying Namo Amida Butsu at the Obutsudan, making mochi, and ringing the temple bell on New Year’s Eve. When classmates tease him for being Buddhist, he goes home hurt and confused.
His mother listens and gently reminds him of what Santa represents: kindness, generosity, and care for others. She asks him to remember the Golden Chain—“I am a link in Amida’s golden chain of love that stretches around the world.” In that moment, Taylor realizes that the Golden Chain is not just something we recite. It is something we live, especially when it is difficult. I wrote this story when my daughters were young and included it in my book Teriyaki Priest, it was called “Santa’s Golden Chain”.
At the end of A Christmas Carol, one of my favorite stories, Scrooge declares, “I will keep Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.” What Scrooge awakens to is not limited to Christmas Day. It is a way of living.
This is where the turning of the year becomes important.
In Buddhist cultures across Asia, including China, the New Year is marked not only as a celebration, but as a time of renewal, gratitude, and reflection. Chinese New Year reminds us that life moves in cycles. It is a time to let go of what no longer serves us, to honor ancestors and family, and to begin again with intention and hope.
Just as Christmas gathers past, present, and future into one moment, Hōonko reminds us of the past that lives within us, while the New Year invites us to step consciously into what comes next. Together, these observances teach us that we are not imprisoned by our past, abandoned in the present, or alone in facing the future.
In Jōdo Shinshū, reflection does not lead to despair. It leads to listening—listening to the working of compassion already present in our lives. From that listening, gratitude naturally arises. From gratitude, generosity flows.
The spirit of Christmas, the wisdom of the New Year, the remembrance of Hōonko, and the teaching of the Golden Chain all point in the same direction: our lives are deeply interconnected. Compassion is not owned by any one tradition. Awakening is not confined to one day on the calendar.
As we move from Christmas through Hōonko and into the New Year and Lunar New Year, may we carry this spirit with us. May we keep our link in the Golden Chain bright and strong throughout the coming year.
And when we forget—when we fall short—may the nembutsu gently remind us that we are grasped, never to be abandoned.
Hōonko Service Information:
Hōonko will be observed at the Idaho Oregon Buddhist Temple on January 18.
Hōonko services for Salt Lake, Ogden, and Honeyville will be held on January 24 and 25, with guest speaker Rev. Mauricio Hondaku. Rev. Hondaku is a dear friend originally from Brazil and currently living in Spain. He is a fully ordained Jōdo Shinshū priest from the Higashi Hongwanji tradition.
We warmly invite everyone to attend and participate in this important time of listening and gratitude.
Namo Amida Butsu.