And if I cried out, who would hear me among the angelic orders?

—Rilke, First Duino Elegy

Kanzeon is the deity of mercy. Her name means, “The one who hears the sounds of the world.” Most of us would like a little mercy sometimes—an embrace, a consolation, the appearance of a secret harmony. Kanzeon doesn’t think anyone unworthy, and we’re close to her or him when we realize, “Oh yes, we’re all in the soup together.” Buddha nature pervades the whole universe.

The Kanzeon Sutra says, “Eternity is full of joy,” which is consoling but also gives us a task—to notice more minutely and delightedly as the mind composes itself into a pattern like a flock of sparrows.

Kanzeon is the sutra for setting out in the new year, and for setting out into the next life. When we notice that we are always secretly accompanied, that is the living presence of Kanzeon. She watches over our practice.

Join us this first Sunday of the new year.

Meditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you, for doors to open by themselves, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead.