"亲爱的朋友们：
圣诞老人从未真正对我产生过影响。如果说有什么影响的话，他那红润的脸颊、雪白的胡须和驯鹿可能是摆脱噩梦的完美良方。事实上，不管有没有圣诞老人这个借口，我都会做一些毫无用处的购物。
尽管如此，我一直对“共同之父”约瑟（注：即耶稣在世间律法上的父亲）这个儿子不可思议的业力感到着迷，他帮助创造了如此强大的力量去爱护、关怀、宽恕、启发、救赎、迷惑、扰乱并塑造整个文化和数十亿人，而同时也被历史上的大恶霸们作为工具来利用。
然后，还有这个被称作“新年”的东西——不仅是西方的新年，还有藏历新年、农历新年(春节)，当然，我怎么能忘记我所深爱的不丹的新年呢。令我感到困惑的是，所有这些新年大约都在所谓的冬季时分。也许在撒哈拉以南地区或加勒比地区有一些新年是在春季或夏季？
总之，今年我对说“新年快乐”有些忐忑，因为在2023年年末，我和数百万人一起说了这句话，但看看2024年都发生了什么！如果这句话真有什么意义，它只是表明乔治•布什简直是个天使。你可能会好奇，为什么我在这里特别挑出来一位美国总统。那只是因为他们把自己挑出来作为世界的守护者。
所以，今年我没有意愿去经历设计新年贺卡、决定要送给谁、然后再亲手送出去的所有这些繁琐过程。这感觉有点像童年时玩的那些障碍赛游戏，孩子们得穿着麻袋赛跑。那类事情已经不再让我觉得有趣了。新年贺卡给我类似的感觉，我不知道我们为什么还要做这些事情。我也不会声称这是出于什么崇高的动机，比如通过减少纸张浪费来拯救地球，不过，如果仅仅少用一个信封能对此有所贡献，我会把它看作是一个额外的好处。
因此，当你没有收到新年贺卡时，我的朋友们以及那些与我有缘的人不应将此视为忽视或拒绝。只需记住，我们是如此紧密地交织在一起，连结在一起，业力如此强大以致于这样的拒绝根本不可能发生。无论你是否曾因我的外表、行为或仅仅我的存在而感到烦恼、恼怒、嫉妒或厌恶，或者无论你是否曾爱过我、关心我、追随我、虔信于我或受我启发——所有这些都是你和我在无数世中所作的因和缘而产生的结果。
我尽量不去利用我们之间的缘分来过度消耗你们宝贵的时间、精力和资源。但无论你们与我有怎样的缘分，我想说的是，不管是否是新年，我都真心祈愿我们之间的缘分会让你们与释迦族太子乔达摩保持缘结，并且让你们永远不会偏离这位伟大的圣者（Muni牟尼）。
值此所谓节日之际，我也祈愿，你们的有生之年始终安住在圣度母温柔而护佑的掌心里；并且，无论你们是否忆念他，降伏一切诸相的莲花生大士永远驻于你们心间。当这一期所谓的生命之戏结束时，愿我们都能投生铜色吉祥山或极乐净土，获得证悟。
我也祈愿每个人，尤其是那些自称为修行者的人，能够真正深刻地领悟到，生活永远不可能完美，但我们的心的真实本性是本初清净无染的。这是我们可以感到自豪的事情，值得我们守护和培养，并由衷地希望其他人也能对此生起意乐。
你们迷惑而漂泊的朋友。”
--宗萨蒋扬钦哲
“Dear Friends,
Mr. Kris Kringle has never really had an impact on me. If anything, the rosy cheeks, snow-white beard and deer might be the perfect remedy for a nightmare. In fact, I do useless shopping anyway, with or without the excuse of a Kris Kringle.
Still, I have always been fascinated by the amazing karma of the son of Joseph, the co-father, to help create such power to love, care, forgive, inspire, redeem, disorient, unsettle, and mould entire cultures and billions of people, and to be used as a tool by the great bullies of history.
And then there’s this thing called a new year – not only a western one but a Tibetan one, a Chinese one, and of course how can I forget the new year of my beloved country, Bhutan. It’s puzzled me that all these new years fall around so-called winter time. Maybe there are new years in the sub-Sahara or Caribbean that fall in the spring or summer?
Anyway, I have some trepidation in saying Happy New Year this year, because that’s what I said with millions of others at the end of 2023 and look what happened in 2024! If anything, it only showed what an angel George Bush was. You might wonder why I am singling out an American president here. That’s only because they have singled themselves out as guardians of the world.
So this year I have no inclination to go through all the rigmarole of designing new year cards, deciding who for, and then sending them by hand. It feels a bit like those childhood obstacle games where kids have to race wearing a sack. Those kinds of things just don’t amuse me any more. New year cards feel a bit like that and I wonder why we even do it. Nor do I claim any wholesome motivation like saving the planet by wasting less paper, though if even one less envelope contributes to that, I’ll see that as a bonus.
So when you don’t get a new year card, friends and those connected to me should not take that as neglect or rejection. Just remember that we’re so deeply intertwined and bound and the power of karma is so strong that such rejection is not even possible. Whether you’ve been annoyed, irritated, envious, or disgusted by my appearance, actions or mere presence, or whether you’ve loved, cared, followed, been devoted to or inspired by me – all of that is the result of causes and conditions through so many lifetimes from what both you and I have done.
I try not to take advantage of our connection by over-using your precious time, energy and resources. But, no matter what kind of connection you have with me, I want to say that I genuinely aspire that, new year or not, our own connection will keep you connected to Gautama, the Prince of Shakya, and that you will never stray from the great Muni.
In this so-called holiday season, I also pray that while you are alive, you always remain under the gentle, protective palms of Arya Tara, and that the subjugator of all phenomena, Padmasambhava, remains in your heart whether you remember him or not. And when this act of so-called living ends, may we all be awakened with the act of the copper-coloured mountain or Suhkaviti.
I also aspire that everyone, and especially those who claim to be practitioners, will truly and deeply realize that life will never be perfect, but that the true nature of our mind is primordially stainless. That is something of which we can be proud, which is worth maintaining and cultivating, and developing the genuine wish that others will also be interested in this.
Yours in the wondering and therefore wandering,
— Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
