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Each Flower a Dharmakaya
Sitting meditation outdoors in the fresh air of spring is an opportunity to get in touch with the manifestation of the wonders of the cosmos through the pâquerette, yellow pissenlit, and forget-me-not flowers. Each tiny flower with only five petals, like the hawthorn flower, fully represents the Dharmakaya, containing the entire cosmos and the Dharmadhatu. The nature of all things is not a creation but a manifestation, as the saying goes: “You are not a creation. You are a manifestation.” This meaning is conveyed through two poems:
- The Epic of Avril
- Butterflies Flying in the Yellow Mustard Garden
The reality of Christ, Shakyamuni Buddha, or each of us ourselves is a manifestation, transcending the concepts of birth, death, coming, going, being, and non-being. Getting in touch with this nature of no-birth and no-death helps the practitioner attain great peace and joy, removing ignorance and fear. Suffering does not need to be completely eliminated in order to have happiness, because suffering is the necessary material to nourish happiness, just like garbage is used to make compost for flowers.
Each step of walking meditation is a journey of discovery to meet the Bodhisattvas springing up from the earth right beneath our feet. To recognize the presence of these messengers of the Dharmakaya, the practitioner needs to use:
- The two feet of the Buddha
- The two eyes of the Buddha
The Sangha is an essential environment to embrace suffering and pain, and to protect the freedom of each individual. Sangha building is the answer to the impasses of modern society, creating a safe island for young people to find a path of freedom and love.
Part of the following collection
UNESCO Manifesto 2000 & Non-Violence