Today I am learning to trust that no matter what is going on in my life, I am in the process of growth.
- Ruth Fishel, Time for Joy
It was a cold morning of August last year when I took a long yet leisurely walk bound to V. Mapa in Sta. Mesa, Manila. My plan at that time was only to buy a box of green tea bags in Gilmore. After I bought my lovely green tea, a thought arose in my mind: a thought of walking along V. Mapa to witness the morning beauty of Bodhi trees lined in the streets. For some it was very ordinary, some might think I'm nuts. Oh yes I'm crazy, they are just trees! But the Bodhi trees which lined in the streets is special for me, I even got a sapling from a bigger tree. They have taught me great lessons in life.
Bodhi tree is considered holy especially in India. The Bodhi tree is where the Buddha attained enlightenment and from there he was awakened, a very different form of awakening. Trees like a Bodhi tree always start with a seed planted into the soil. The seed shoots a small outgrowth, the young outgrowth matures, grows bigger and stronger through time. The big tree dances with the wind, bathe in sunlight, and sings with the rain. Storms do occur, harsh gust of winds and heavy rainfall pass by but the tree remains strong and continue to grow once more. One thing more amazing with Bodhi trees is that they grow in the most difficult environment. They thrive in hot places and you can even see one amongst the rubble!
The same thing is true with ourselves. We all started as small, grow old and mature through time. Our mind, body and spirit is continually nourished by the universe. Our private universe is always affected by the external world we sense and perceive. Every single moment of our life, every single breath, every ticking of the clock, vibrations and stimulation occur. We may not notice these things around us because of man's nature of selective consciousness. We get nourished through our experiences. In each experience there is always an element of risk. It is upon our decision to make things happen or not. When we risk we grow, we grow we learn, and when we learn we become better human beings. It's the greatest miracle! Just like what Thich Nhat Hanh said, "People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. " To walk on earth as a kind and compassionate human being.
To reject is easy, to accept is hard. It is hard to move on from a heartbreak, it is not easy to lose a job, it is very difficult to smile after a death of a family member, it is hard to find inner peace. Whenever suffering arises in our daily living the only easy way out is to escape. That is the common mindset of most people for the greatest liar is the self. We always deny what is true to us. But not to a Bodhi tree. He just accept things as they are, the suchness of everything. All the heat, all the rainfall, all the strong blows of nature. And at the end of the Bodhi tree's time, his leaves fall from his strong branches, the bark slowly looses its life and the Bodhi tree dies peacefully. He just let things be. Can we be like that in our lives? Of course we can.
I went home tired but happy. With my green tea and the Bodhi sapling who wouldn't be any happier? I soaked a tea bag into a cup of hot water, and sip by sip in my cup of tea, I watched the Bodhi sapling wilt slowly.
Bodhi tree is considered holy especially in India. The Bodhi tree is where the Buddha attained enlightenment and from there he was awakened, a very different form of awakening. Trees like a Bodhi tree always start with a seed planted into the soil. The seed shoots a small outgrowth, the young outgrowth matures, grows bigger and stronger through time. The big tree dances with the wind, bathe in sunlight, and sings with the rain. Storms do occur, harsh gust of winds and heavy rainfall pass by but the tree remains strong and continue to grow once more. One thing more amazing with Bodhi trees is that they grow in the most difficult environment. They thrive in hot places and you can even see one amongst the rubble!
The same thing is true with ourselves. We all started as small, grow old and mature through time. Our mind, body and spirit is continually nourished by the universe. Our private universe is always affected by the external world we sense and perceive. Every single moment of our life, every single breath, every ticking of the clock, vibrations and stimulation occur. We may not notice these things around us because of man's nature of selective consciousness. We get nourished through our experiences. In each experience there is always an element of risk. It is upon our decision to make things happen or not. When we risk we grow, we grow we learn, and when we learn we become better human beings. It's the greatest miracle! Just like what Thich Nhat Hanh said, "People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. " To walk on earth as a kind and compassionate human being.
To reject is easy, to accept is hard. It is hard to move on from a heartbreak, it is not easy to lose a job, it is very difficult to smile after a death of a family member, it is hard to find inner peace. Whenever suffering arises in our daily living the only easy way out is to escape. That is the common mindset of most people for the greatest liar is the self. We always deny what is true to us. But not to a Bodhi tree. He just accept things as they are, the suchness of everything. All the heat, all the rainfall, all the strong blows of nature. And at the end of the Bodhi tree's time, his leaves fall from his strong branches, the bark slowly looses its life and the Bodhi tree dies peacefully. He just let things be. Can we be like that in our lives? Of course we can.I went home tired but happy. With my green tea and the Bodhi sapling who wouldn't be any happier? I soaked a tea bag into a cup of hot water, and sip by sip in my cup of tea, I watched the Bodhi sapling wilt slowly.
