I had no idea what to expect when I organized an eco-meditation walk with a Zen Buddhist Sister-Sister Tinh.
But cradled by the soft warm breezes of a late spring evening, in the heart of Valley land, the light of the day- green and mysterious, we found ourselves, hand clasping thumb either in front or behind our backs, our gaze on the ground before us, taking very small, very slow steps while we allowed ourselves to focus on the present-meditation the returning of wandering thoughts back to the moment.
All the time, we made full use of our senses; we breathed in the smells around us, we listened to the sounds the forest made, we felt the air on our skins.
Crows called, twigs snapped, our feet crunched on the gravel path, the green hung at the edges of our sight, the smell of lilacs and then horse manure and then freshly mowed grass. The sounds of people passing by and children giggling at the strange procession we were twenty odd people walking along in single file.
When we paused in our walk, it was to look up and let our minds hold what our eyes first grasped. How vibrant the colours looks around us now. My eyes fell upon a rock at my feet solid, grounding and non-obtrusive. Next a mosquito on my hand caught my eye. I let it be. Unwanted things we normally shun kept drawing my attention:the dandelion, the purple loose strive, the garlic mustard weeds. Invasive species-how to they all fit into the grand scheme of things I wondered and then let the thought go.; reaching instead to hold and embrace the world as it was before me; warts and all.
All the time, we made full use of our senses; we breathed in the smells around us, we listened to the sounds the forest made, we felt the air on our skins.
Crows called, twigs snapped, our feet crunched on the gravel path, the green hung at the edges of our sight, the smell of lilacs and then horse manure and then freshly mowed grass. The sounds of people passing by and children giggling at the strange procession we were twenty odd people walking along in single file.
When we paused in our walk, it was to look up and let our minds hold what our eyes first grasped. How vibrant the colours looks around us now. My eyes fell upon a rock at my feet solid, grounding and non-obtrusive. Next a mosquito on my hand caught my eye. I let it be. Unwanted things we normally shun kept drawing my attention:the dandelion, the purple loose strive, the garlic mustard weeds. Invasive species-how to they all fit into the grand scheme of things I wondered and then let the thought go.; reaching instead to hold and embrace the world as it was before me; warts and all.
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