Holidays at Ancestral Heart

January 4, 2025

Molly getting cozy in the prime spot by the fire. (Monks love warming their toes here, too!)

When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing better than gathering by the fire with sangha friends. Amid the hustle and bustle of traveling to Brooklyn for the Rohatsu sesshin and preparing for the January intensive (which starts this weekend!), we found time to celebrate the holidays—mostly by eating a lot of delicious vegetarian food. Buddha’s Enlightenment, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve… there are so many gatherings that bring light to these shortest days of the year.

From the residents and locals at Ancestral Heart, we wish you, your loved ones, and all beings a wondrous New Year!

We started off November with a wonderfully grounding sesshin led by Charlie-sensei, who in a first, traveled with his jisha, Paul! It went well (you can tell by our expressions).

At the end of the month, we welcomed sixteen people—and four dogs—to our Thanksgiving potluck at Ancestral Heart!

Milo and Molly, the true teachers of Ancestral Heart were attended to by their jishas Ryan and Laura-sensei.

We went bowling in nearby Great Barrington to celebrate my birthday 🙂 When you think about it, we’re all just Dogen’s little meatballs, aren’t we?

After Rohatsu, we came back up to Millerton—where our last week on the schedule before the January intensive coincided with Pat’s last week of residence.

Pat offered these lovely words when writing about his experience as a resident: 

“Though most of my day is spent in silent activity, I can sense the support of other residents as we collectively engage in what feels like an intricate ritual. A ritual renewed each day to illuminate our karma and allow us to see it clearly and with compassion.”

We will miss you, Pat!

Residents, local sangha, and our beloved root teacher Teah gathered to celebrate Christmas in town.

In a first, we hosted an open-to-the-public New Year’s Eve sit (with noodle soup, of course) at Ancestral Heart. We were joined by many local sangha members, some of whom had never been to Ancestral Heart before!

Preparing carrots (they must be very cute) for the New Year’s Eve soba.

After sitting together and ringing the big bell 108 times, letting the sound resonate over the valley, we gathered around a bonfire to reflect and burn our hindrances in preparation for the coming New Year.

From the Genjo koan: “Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not suppose that the ash is future and the firewood past. You should understand that firewood abides in the phenomenal expression of firewood which fully includes past and future, and is independent of past and future.” 

At the end of the year, we also ritually burn extra copies of sutras and other papers that may have accumulated over the last twelve months. Just as ash does not become firewood again, we turn the page on the old year as we step wholeheartedly into the new. We burn our hindrances—the habits we’d like to break, the doubts we may grasp onto—in order to enter the new year with our intentions and faith renewed. 

What hindrances would you like to leave in 2024? What wishes do you have for 2025? Our bonfire was for warmth on a chilly night, but most importantly, it was to support our end-of-year ritual. The dharma teacher Paula Arai writes of creating your own rituals to bring Zen practice into your home and life. What ritual might you hold for yourself, or with your community, to welcome in the New Year?

—Larissa P