I used to be concerned with the Boy Scouts of America as a baby. Each month, my scout troop and I might pack up the trailer and drive to some far-off location the place we might construct fires, pitch tents, and hike by means of the wilderness. Ultimately, I turned an Eagle Scout; the very best rank {that a} boy scout can earn.
One lesson that was drilled into us in the beginning of each tenting journey was the philosophy of “leave no trace” tenting. The concept was easy, the pure phrase was sacred and worthy of our respect. We had been company within the forest, and it was our job to depart issues higher than how we discovered them.
So, campfires had been constructed utilizing lifeless wooden that we discovered mendacity within the forest versus chopping down bushes. We hiked on established trails to guard newly grown vegetation, and rubbish we produced throughout the journey was bagged and carried out within the trunk of our vehicles.
Clearly, it was not possible to have zero-impact on the pure world, however our hope was to get pleasure from it in such a method that after we left the forest, nobody would know that we had been there. Thus, we frequently repeated the next motto:
Go away nothing however footprints, Take nothing however photos, Kill nothing however time
This subject got here up lately after I spoke to a good friend about an epidemic of rock-stacking that is happening in our native park. Traditionally, rock stacks, or cairns as they’re extra generally referred to as had been used to mark trails or retailer meals in case hikers acquired misplaced and wanted a resupply.
Nevertheless, I imagine one thing else is at play right here. Not one of the cairns that I’ve seen had been used to retailer meals, and the entire trails are professionally maintained by the forest service, so there is not any want for vigilante trail-markers.
So, it could seem that individuals are balancing rocks in creeks and river beds for aesthetic functions. Possibly they need to “depart their mark” within the pure world previous to returning dwelling. Possibly they’re doing it for clout; hoping to get likes on Instagram and Twitter. Truthfully, the rationale does not matter as a result of they’re doing serious harm to the environment.
A number of the issues with rock stacks are:
- They confuse hikers who rely on sanctioned cairns; created by forest administration to seek out trails
- They destroy the houses and habitats of residing creatures like ants, earthworms, and slugs
Briefly, constructing an unsanctioned rock cairn is the ecological equal of spraying graffiti on a historic monument. Convincing folks to cease doing it needs to be a easy factor, however nothing is easy in samsara.
The final argument appears to be, “There’s a lot of dangerous stuff occurring, who cares about rocks?!”
In Buddhism, nevertheless, we take a unique view. The core of our observe is accepting that struggling is a part of life and selecting to observe Proper Motion anyway.
Thus, it is as a result of of political unrest that we do no hint tenting. It is due to illness and hunger that we take down unsanctioned cairns, and it is due to all of the world’s struggling that we shield the houses of salamanders, bugs, and worms.
As a result of if we won’t clear up these different issues, is not refusing to stack rocks the least we are able to do?
Is not lacking out on a couple of Twitter likes and Instagram hearts a small worth to pay if we are able to dampen the fires of struggling; making life higher for the individuals who come after us.
In Buddhism, we need not to “depart our mark” by stacking rocks in river beds.
We perceive that practising Proper Motion does that for us. And as we transfer by means of this world, leaving no hint, we depart issues higher than how we discovered them.
Namu Amida Butsu
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