On my office wall hangs a scroll which inspires me each day, and which was given to me by my teacher Paul. The calligraphy says, ‘Every day is a good day’, a famous phrase of Yun-men. There is an enso below the calligraphy. This could be the fullness of the sun of every day; it could be the completeness of the moon of every night; it could be realisation, there in the interbeing of sun and moon.  I find it touching that there is a written character within the enso, as though the inexpressible is expressed in this person and this daily life right here. 

But what about when the endless suffering in the world makes it hard to find the ‘good’ of a good day? What can we do when we feel helpless in the face of all the world’s suffering? We can learn from the Earth. After the destructive bushfire, there comes a point when the gumtrees grow green cardigans along their branches, the first growth after fire. In Brian Gutkin’s Appin song, which you may have heard at the concert, in spite of the tragedy of the massacre of innocent Aboriginal lives, in spite of the land being stained by red blood, at every Springtime the land turns green again. The teachings of the Earth are not one of indifference, but that there is always a bright green tendril of hope, hope for wholeness. 

The Buddha was challenged by the demon-god Mara, who said to him: ‘Who do you think you are to sit on this spot and seek enlightenment?’ The Buddha reached down and touched the Earth and said: ‘The Earth is my witness.’ The Earth is the witness of all our fears and self-criticism, all the greed, hatred and ignorance, but also the endless capacity for healing and good. In this sutra story, the Earth shows that we are not separate from her. 

However, saying ‘Every day is a good day’ doesn’t mean painting a bright, rosy, fake sunrise for each day. It means totally accepting ‘what is’ on this day, at this moment, so that though we may have tears of sadness or of joy, we are still at peace. It means embracing this Now, taking good care of the life which is a gift.  

This phrase also points us to the way of practice. Don’t attach to that ‘good day’ last week when I could sit with great focus, but now I am very distracted. Just be with that distraction, steadily coming back to this moment: no last week, no this week, no good/better/best. Just this ordinary and miraculous ‘good day’. 

Written by Jane Andino, roshi – published in October/November 2024 Newsletter