It was this year when you often saw the articles that famous persons caused many problems, received criticism and left. It was really miserable for them to hold on to the current positions. I feel sorry that the Japanese moral culture of "to retire like a man" or "do not pollute late in life" has gone away.
　We had the announcement of the Sochi Winter Olympics representative on 23rd. Daisuke Takahashi repeated mistakes in the all-Japan championship of the day before and got the fifth place. He talked "This is my ability," with tears in his interview. We could think his readiness that he would not be the Olympic Games representative. But thunderous applause was generated from the meeting place which heard representative announcement of Takahashi. I thought that people wanted to watch skates of Takahashi more. I think that even if you seize the present position with your greed and deeply attach to it, you can not get anything socially, unless you are accepted by neighboring people. I want to follow such a readiness that Takahashi knew own situation and thought the plan for his future.
　"You should leave the egocentric opinion as the first precaution. You should not deeply attach to yourself."(Dogen "Shobogenzo-zuimonki")
　- It can be said that people practicing Buddhism are the persons who are going to live in the life honestly. Even if you study and acquire ascetic practices so much, a heart of the egocentrism "I'll do it" can never open the realization from there.- (Kodo Matsunami "Way of the Buddhism life", Nihon-bungei-sha) It is to abandon a thought of the egocentrism to attain realization. In other words, the heart of the egocentrism is greed and it may be "passions" for the Buddhism. I want to do such a way of life "Not to be prejudiced, Not stick to and Not to covet."
　Let's pray for less "passions" of new year looking back on this year, while hearing ringing bells (that remove the one hundred and eight passions) on New Year's Eve.
　I pray for good luck of the new year of all of you heartily.