A few years in the past, I dreamed of getting a home within the nation. I imagined how it could really feel to eat meals from my backyard. I visualized chickens flapping their wings and operating round within the coop that I would constructed for them. And I strategized methods to befriend my neighbors with items of contemporary produce and heat apple pie.
Quick ahead to current day. I stay on a small plot of land in the course of no the place. I’ve a productive backyard. I’ve six fats chickens. And I’ve neighbors who’re variety, compassionate individuals. I even have a variety of grass.
Grass grows like weeds out right here; getting longer and thicker every day. It clings to my boots within the wet season, and I’ve seen it choke the life out of a push mower. A full-sized garden tractor with a forty-two inch mowing deck is required to maintain my garden’s tendrils beneath management.
However reducing grass within the nation is not nearly expertise, there’s additionally method concerned. As a result of the grass is course and thick, it isn’t good to run over lengthy grass that is coated in contemporary grass clippings. Doing so places additional pressure on the mower blades, which ends up in the engine burning out. To mediate this a smart groundskeeper mows in a round sample.
They begin on the outer fringe of the property, and mow in a circle across the perimeter; guaranteeing that all the grass clippings are blown away from the middle. Then they mow a barely smaller circler; guaranteeing that all the new grass clippings are blown onto the patch of floor they only mowed. They proceed on this means till they arrive on the middle of the property, and your entire garden has been tamed.
Thus, I spend a number of hours every week using in circles round my garden; trimming the shin-high grass to a good stage. Every time I do that I discover one thing new in regards to the property.
That small patch the place nothing grows as a result of the horse trailer was parked there, the massive dent from when a large tree fell in a storm, the small gap the place our pleasant neighborhood gophers stay, I see this stuff and I reply accordingly.
I velocity up after I go over the patch of lifeless grass, I decelerate whereas traversing the dent, and I give the gopher gap a large berth, so I do not disturb its inhabitants.
Doing this does not cease the grass from rising. It was right here earlier than I got here to the property, and it’ll nonetheless be right here after I’ve turned to mud. However mowing the yard constantly retains it beneath management. And every time I do it the method turns into simpler, and my life turns into extra peaceable.
On this means, Buddhist follow is loads like reducing the grass. If we consider our thoughts like an empty discipline, then our ideas are the grass that grows in it. These ideas start as karmic seeds which can be planted by means of our life experiences.
A few of them are seeds of worry. A few of them are seeds of pleasure. However all of them are assured to ripen into ideas and actions as soon as the karmic circumstances are proper. So, we should handle our minds in the identical means {that a} landscaper manages a yard. However that is simpler mentioned than accomplished.
As a result of the karmic seeds are continually rising similar to grass in a discipline. And if we aren’t cautious, they’ll entangle us with tentacles of greed, anger, and despair. Thus, spirituality is a lifelong follow; similar to mowing the garden.
After we enter the meditation corridor and have interaction with Buddhist rituals, we lower down the grass discipline of our thoughts. We hint circles round it till we attain the middle, and pay attention to what we discover.
We do prostrations in response to prideful ideas, we chant within the face of worry, and we breathe deeply on our cushions to beat ignorance.
That is sluggish, methodical work. However every time we do it the method turns into simpler and our thoughts turns into extra peaceable.
Ultimately, there is no end line to cross, no closing prize to win. There’s solely the follow. And we interact with it every day; reducing circles in our thoughts till there’s nothing left however enlightenment.
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