One perk of growing up Chinese American is that every year I got to observe two different new years – January 1st and then several weeks later what in Chinese we call ChunJie or “Spring Festival,” which my Plum Village siblings might better know as Tet. In 2026 Tet will fall on February 17th. We will enter the Year of the Horse.
Having two new years meant double the festivities, and also meant getting a second chance at starting over, beginning anew. In my youth I tried to make resolutions because everyone else seemed to be, but always found it difficult to stick to any meaningful ones. What I didn’t understand then – having been enculturated into the western concept of “free will” as if all of our choices exist independently of each other – was that the reason why I found resolutions so difficult was because of my habit energies. When one is accustomed to acting one way, it’s difficult to immediately change. Even if we want to act differently, our habit energies pull us back to old ways of doing, and even more so when we’re under stress. In order to change in lasting ways we need to create new habits, which takes time. So resolutions aren’t a single choice, but rather a resolve, an aspiration, to repeatedly choose better ways, until they become habitual, second nature to us.
2025 was a difficult year for those of us who value life. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s genocide of Palestinians continued, as did violent conflicts in Sudan, Haiti, Burma and other places too numerous to name. Fires of inconceivable size destroyed parts of Canada, my home state of California, and the Amazon, while massive storms drowned parts of China, Southeast Asia, the US, and the Caribbean. And all the while the extractive forces of capitalism continued to convert humans, animals, vegetables, minerals into profit for a very few. So even though the transition from one calendar year to another is an arbitrary one, still, I know that I was not alone in hoping that 2026 could bring us, if nothing else at least a respite.
But on January 3rd, the US invaded Venezuela for its oil. On January 7th, an ICE agent murdered Renee Good and our federal government blamed the victim. On January 11th, the EPA under the Trump administration revealed that it would no longer take into consideration human health and lives saved when setting pollution limits. At this same time, Iran escalated its slaughter of protestors into the thousands. The horrors of the news seemed unrelenting, and sitting meditation could not still the turbulence within me. And even though part of me knew better, I stopped doing the things that bring me joy – walking, making art, being with community – spending that time instead scrolling through news and social media – unhealthy behaviors that I thought I’d given up with mindfulness practice but found myself slipping back into. As Buddhists, our practice is to not attach ourselves to outcomes, but I was very attached, grasping, searching for signs of hope.
It was sangha that helped right my ship. Sitting with others in community provided a stability that sitting alone could not; and being able to share what was on my heart helped lift a burden. The turbulent waters are still there, but I can once again see our shared north star. “Peace in oneself; peace in the world.” Which brings me back to Tet and a second chance at a new year. A second new year isn’t going to magically change things for the better. All of the things that have happened in 2026 thus far are due to the collective habit energies of people and nations that still exist. But the only way to change these habit energies in ourselves and ultimately in our societies is to stop contributing to old, destructive ways of being and start/continue building new, life-affirming ones.
Buddhism tells us how to do this on a personal level in the Four Right Efforts.
- Prevent: If you are not yet doing harmful/unwholesome things, don’t start.
- Abandon: If you are already doing harmful/unwholesome things, stop.
- Develop: If you are not yet doing beneficial/wholesome things, start.
- Maintain: If you are already doing beneficial/wholesome things, continue.
I’ve long admired how Buddhist Peace Fellowship takes these personal practices and applies them to the societal level in their framework: Block, Build, Be. Block harm and injustice. Build relationships, communities, new structures. Be with mindfulness practice for resilience and liberation.
So if you, like me, were knocked off kilter by the onslaught of terrible events that has been the beginning of 2026, I invite you to embrace the lunar new year as a second chance to begin anew. Recenter yourself; come back to breath and/or body. If sitting meditation is not working for you at this time, try walking in nature, taiqi, dancing… sit and share with sangha, be with loved ones…anything that will remind you that you are here and now in this body. AND… also engage.
Work to block the things that are causing harm and injustice. For those in the U.S. (since that is where I’m most familiar with) communities all over the country are learning lessons from Minneapolis/Saint Paul on how to protect neighbors from ICE. Find and join the groups in your community. Join the Buddhist Oakflat working group to support Apache Stronghold in their efforts to block an international copper mining company from desecrating their sacred land.
Work to build the things that will support and nurture new ways of being. Support your local sanghas and monasteries as places of refuge, allowing us to regulate and heal. Support the Plum Village Solidarity Council, which is working for Palestinian freedom. Strive to eat more compassionately to reduce and eventually end the suffering of our sibling factory farmed animals.
Please know that I am not suggesting that anyone needs to do ALL of these things. Do what you can do, what speaks to you, and remember that resolutions are not single actions but aspirations towards better ways of being, creating the habit energies in ourselves and our societies. Peace in oneself; peace in the world. Experiencing a day or two or even week or month(s) where you are not at your best doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Today is another opportunity to choose.
