Risshun (立春)

When I take a walk across the fields outside my Dojo, at minus ten degrees these days, I can see the past and the future: big clouds of steam from the coal fired power plant on the left, and the wind wheels turning slowly on the right. Currently, I read, in Japan 50 out of 54 atomic power plants are shut down …

Today is Setsubun (節分), the beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar. Many Japanese visit their local shrines for spring celebration called Risshun (立春), and throw roasted soya beans, Fukumame (福豆) towards someone dressed as Oni or deamon to drive away the evil spirits.

Fukushima1The deputy head priest of our Dojo’s partner temple Shunkoin in Kyoto suggested angry Japanese citizens to throw beans at Tepco, the operator of the collapsed Fukushima nuclear plant. But then he wonders if beans are not too good for them … while I read that more and more leaks occur in the temporary cooling system (the experts at Tepco maybe did not consider water freezes below zero degrees), releasing tons of contaminated water, I can do nothing but agree.

This is the cycle of cause and effect, or Karma: our intentions and actions each moment have an impact on the future. Concerning atomic energy, hundreds of generations to come will suffer from the bad Karma we produced.

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