Greetings,

This month there is no new picture. We will be reviewing the year with the ten Ox herding pictures. This is a personal practice, so this post is just to encourage you to take the time to look over your year with this practice.

Start by going back and re-reading each post. Not all at once, but one day at a time. Read the post and reflect on what was happening during that month. Look at your calendar. Think about what you were doing in your life. What important things were happening. What changes or transitions were you going through? What emotional energy was driving you?

You're taking stock of how your life progressed over the course of a year. It's not something you can do at one time. It needs to be done in quiet reflection. So pick a time, read the post, and reflect. Give yourself an hour just to contemplate. You'll need 10 days. A day for each month's picture.

Try not to rush through this. You may not realize it but you have been through something over the course of the year. It's like going on a weekend or week long retreat and not realizing how sensitive you have become. We can't spend a year in a focused Dhamma practice without that Dhamma impacting our lives in some subtle way. This month is about seeing that subtle impact. It may not be very obvious at first but upon reflection and time, the impact will reveal itself.

With a deep bow,

Tuere