Wishing everyone a joyful and peaceful New Year in 2026.

I’m writing from Bangkok, Thailand, where I hope to visit a few Buddhist temples to make offerings. I will happily share the merits of these donations with all of you.

This past year, 2025, was a creative adventure. I began composing Buddhist-inspired pop songs with the help of AI, and it has been a delight to share these creations with you. My goal is to craft music for our lay community—modern tunes with light Dharma messages that can accompany our daily lives, whether we’re on a treadmill or navigating the commute.

I hope this music can resonate with younger listeners, helping them appreciate the Dharma and showing peers that Buddhism can be both meaningful and contemporary.

For over five years now, I’ve been blogging about Buddhism in everyday life. Thank you for being part of this journey.

I will continue exploring Buddhist stories and scriptures, reflecting on their wisdom and sharing what I learn.

I believe it’s important for laypeople to connect with the Buddha’s teachings at a level that aligns with our daily reality. Before contemplating concepts like emptiness or saving the world, let’s first explore how the Dharma can help us improve ourselves here and now.

And before setting our sights on the purity of full enlightenment, perhaps we can aim for a stage closer to home—like that of a stream-enterer. This was a level of awakening remarkably common among laypeople during the Buddha’s time.

It’s comforting to remember that these awakened individuals included kings and queens, parents, and even children—ordinary people with families, who fell in love, married, and raised children, all while living with an awakened perspective. We should never feel a sense of lack or inferiority in our purity.

From my years of study, one message is clear: the Buddha did not teach laypeople in the same way he taught monastics. He guided them to contribute to society and nurture happy families and communities through their enlightened understanding of life.

So instead of measuring our lay life against the revered standard of monks and nuns, let us fully understand and embrace our own role—and strive to fulfill it well.

Happy New Year once again. May your 2026 be filled with growth, peace, and happiness.