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Interbeing and Ancestor Worship in Buddhism
The small leaf contains the whole universe: clouds, rain, earth, sunlight, and the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide. When we look with the eyes of insight, we see that the cloud in the sky has transformed into rain, which seeps into the leaf; the sun smiles and creates the green color; the earth brings minerals to nourish life; and each of our breaths intermingles with the leaf. The teaching of “one is all, all is one” affirms that even a single phenomenon contains the entirety of all things.
In our own body, each cell also contains the whole body and our lineage: our blood ancestors (parents, grandparents) as well as our spiritual ancestors (the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and teachers). The three-colored flag or the Buddha statue are only symbols to help us remember that our country, our ancestors, and our spiritual roots are not outside of us, but are deeply present in every cell. Daily practice with the ancestral altar—offering incense, cleaning, bowing—helps nourish our roots, preventing us from being uprooted, adrift, and suffering.
- Clouds, rain, earth, and sunlight interwoven in the leaf
- The cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide between humans and trees
- Blood ancestors and spiritual ancestors present in every cell
- Practicing mindfulness and concentration at the ancestral altar: offering incense, cleaning, bowing daily