What Can We Learn From Nature

0:08 And you can start the chanting anytime you want. Report an error in the passage at 0:08 Highlight the passage at 0:08

1:13 I'd like Report an error in the passage at 1:13 Highlight the passage at 1:13

· · · silence, 3 minutes

3:55 to start with the talk first. Report an error in the passage at 3:55 Highlight the passage at 3:55

4:21 How nature is so close to us and what we can learn from nature. And I'd like to start to read a small couple of verses from the Report an error in the passage at 4:21 Highlight the passage at 4:21

4:45 Terrogata, which is the verses for the monks. The verse for Venerable Maha Kasapa, who I think was really inspired by nature. He was an Arahant and one of the well-known disciples of the Buddha. He was known for his ascetic practices. Report an error in the passage at 4:45 Highlight the passage at 4:45

5:17 Very disciplined and strict in his practice. So he was actually known as the rag-rogue-wearing monk. So picking up pieces of rags from the road, washing. And in those days, these days, you know, we just have ready-made material and we make the robe. The patchwork robe. But those days, they would just pick up scraps from the road, wash it. Report an error in the passage at 5:17 Highlight the passage at 5:17

6:00 When they had enough scraps of material, they would sew the road. So that's what he was known for wearing, very aesthetic looking patchwork robe. Report an error in the passage at 6:00 Highlight the passage at 6:00

6:14 Not only that, he He was such a generous person that when he saw that the Buddha was wearing a really old, worn out, sad looking robe, he had a very good robe given to him and he swapped it with the Buddha. So that's the type of person Venerable Maha Kasapa was. Very kind. Report an error in the passage at 6:14 Highlight the passage at 6:14

6:45 What I'm inspired about this Venerable is his love for nature. And this passage that I will read will hopefully throw some light on that. So it goes. Strawn with garlands of the moss-roast tree, these regions are delightful, lovely, resounding, with the trumpeting of elephants. These rocky crags delight me. Report an error in the passage at 6:45 Highlight the passage at 6:45

7:16 They look like blue-black storm clouds glistening, cooled with the waters of clear flowing streams, and covered with ladybirds, beetles. These rocky crags delight me. Like the peak of a blue-black storm cloud, or like a fine-peaked house, lovely, resounding with the trumpeting of elephants, these rocky crags delight me. Report an error in the passage at 7:16 Highlight the passage at 7:16

7:45 The rain comes down on the lovely flats in the mountains frequent by the sages. Echoing with the cries of peacocks, these rocky crags delight me. So Report an error in the passage at 7:45 Highlight the passage at 7:45

8:05 that hopefully gives you some idea of how much he appreciated nature and how it powered his own meditation practice. practice Report an error in the passage at 8:05 Highlight the passage at 8:05

8:18 He certainly would have been a great influence for his love of meditation practice and becoming an arahant in the end. I also like to talk about Ajahn Chah. He said that nature can teach us things by observing. I'll give a couple of examples. end Report an error in the passage at 8:18 Highlight the passage at 8:18

8:49 I live in a very large forest and this is something I've actually seen at Jana Grove which is a retreat center recently and I was going for a walk. I was on retreat there and I saw this very Report an error in the passage at 8:49 Highlight the passage at 8:49

9:20 Old white coloured tree that had fallen on the ground with its branches scattered around it. And I was thinking, my goodness, how similar is this to in the olden days that when people died, people were just basically cremated on a funeral pyre. Report an error in the passage at 9:20 Highlight the passage at 9:20

10:06 hip bone there and arm here that type of thing and it made me think my goodness you know this tree is so you know not you know It's similar to a human body. It was allowed to just be left in nature and the skeleton to dissolve away. So that thought entered my mind. And again, what is this teaching us? Report an error in the passage at 10:06 Highlight the passage at 10:06

10:37 About death, the certainty of death. And moving on to a happier example. Report an error in the passage at 10:37 Highlight the passage at 10:37

10:48 Monastics have a, you know, we keep ourselves entertained in different ways and observing nature is by one and once I was observing these little ants and they were all in a row following one another and I had the sense, you know, they cooperate with one another and they live in harmony with one another. Report an error in the passage at 10:48 Highlight the passage at 10:48

11:13 I mean the big ants might be a little bit different. they seem to be on their own scurrying about but these particular ants very tiny ants just you know going about I guess they were in search of food or something like that and it made me think now they're not that different to humans in terms of you know like you know in the in the workforce when you work cooperatively with your colleagues to you know Report an error in the passage at 11:13 Highlight the passage at 11:13

11:44 And I'm thinking, yeah, these ants are doing the same, you know, they're working together, either, you know, searching for food or whatever it is they're doing. Report an error in the passage at 11:44 Highlight the passage at 11:44

11:55 The next example is just touching on moods. And if you look at a, you know, very turbulent weather like, you know, thunderstorms, you know, lightning. And this makes me think of times when we are angry. It's a bit like that, you know. Dark clouds and lightning and loud thundering sounds. And what about when we're happy? It's like when you see the white fluffy clouds in the sky or the sun shining. And that's when we're in a happy mood. Report an error in the passage at 11:55 Highlight the passage at 11:55

12:42 It made me think about observing nature, especially the weather, to liken that to our moods that we undergo throughout the day. Report an error in the passage at 12:42 Highlight the passage at 12:42

12:58 The next example is something that my teacher uses, Ajahn Hasapania. She talks about a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. I mean, the caterpillar is pretty ordinary looking. And it made me think about the transformative outcome Report an error in the passage at 12:58 Highlight the passage at 12:58

13:26 that all of us have, I should say transformative potential that we all have. That, you know, yes, we have defilements, but, you know, we can work on them. And they can be transformed and we can turn into this beautiful person, the beautiful butterfly. And with perseverance, kindness towards ourselves and recognizing some of these defilements and not giving ourselves a hard time, we can all have the potential to transform. Report an error in the passage at 13:26 Highlight the passage at 13:26

14:07 The last example I like to use is The still lake, and this I liken it to meditation practice. If you've ever seen a still lake, there's not a ripple, there's not a wave, and this is the mind's potential when it's in meditation and not a lot of thoughts are going through the mind. And after some time when we've settled down in meditation, We become peaceful. I think Ajahn Chah uses that too, the steel lake, to describe what our minds can also become, very calm, peaceful in meditation. Report an error in the passage at 14:07 Highlight the passage at 14:07

15:04 A few practical examples to end with, if I may. And there is a lot out there. When you go for a walk or if you happen to be living near a forest or a park, take your time next time when you go for a walk. Have a look around. This morning itself, I saw this mushroom, this single white mushroom. And it was just perfect. Report an error in the passage at 15:04 Highlight the passage at 15:04

15:41 And I'm thinking... I haven't seen a mushroom that's very close to the complex that I'm seated down here now. And it meant just maybe just like you need to slow down and it's good to be present. And see, you know, when you're going for a walk, I'm just going to observe, you know, see the wildlife that's out there. Report an error in the passage at 15:41 Highlight the passage at 15:41

16:11 Maybe just stop for a few minutes and listen to the sound of the birds. and where I am walking back to my hut I do that sometimes because I love the sound of the birds and then also there's echidnas here and I've watched an Report an error in the passage at 16:11 Highlight the passage at 16:11

16:38 of water out near my kuti. It's really interesting, you know, it's drinking water from there. And I have a group of birds that also come to bathe in that water, have a bath every afternoon. It gives me a lot of joy. So, yeah, please, next time you're out for a walk or you have the good fortune to be in a national park, have a look around. Report an error in the passage at 16:38 Highlight the passage at 16:38

17:09 may have a herb garden or a vegetable garden. Delight in having this food that nature's offering that you grow yourself and it nourishes your own body and then be really grateful that this is what nature is providing us. Report an error in the passage at 17:09 Highlight the passage at 17:09

17:36 Yeah, I hope you're all inspired to, you know, even some of you may be living in a high-rise building or something like that, but maybe just have a little plant that you, you know, that might flower and give you a bit of joy. And I'm sure there must be parks, nice parks that you can go for a walk and have a look around. Report an error in the passage at 17:36 Highlight the passage at 17:36

18:02 And for me, I find nature very soothing. I will end there and talk a little bit about meditation for this evening and then we can sit for half an hour. So Report an error in the passage at 18:02 Highlight the passage at 18:02

18:59 tonight's theme is what we can do to help Let go, to be present, to be here, dropping the past and the future, just arriving here in your room, on your seat. So Report an error in the passage at 18:59 Highlight the passage at 18:59

19:33 what hinders us from being here, from letting go? First Report an error in the passage at 19:33 Highlight the passage at 19:33

19:45 of all, we are not relaxed enough. And second, we may try and control and sort after an outcome in our meditation. Report an error in the passage at 19:45 Highlight the passage at 19:45

20:01 So these are blockages to progress in meditation. I Report an error in the passage at 20:01 Highlight the passage at 20:01

20:11 think I mentioned last time that it is really important before you sit for meditation that you do some pre-work to make sure that you've settled down, calmed down from your busy day, like going for a walk, being in nature, sitting in your garden. Report an error in the passage at 20:11 Highlight the passage at 20:11

20:36 Whatever it is that you need to do to be relaxed could be as simple as sipping a nice cup of chamomile tea. And Report an error in the passage at 20:36 Highlight the passage at 20:36

20:59 make sure that you have a comfortable chair or a mat or your favorite cushion that you're sitting on. That is so, so important in meditation because it's normally the body being uncomfortable, not relaxed enough, that disturbs the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 20:59 Highlight the passage at 20:59

21:27 And the controlling part of it, what may help is have trust in the dharma. Have trust in yourself. Being Report an error in the passage at 21:27 Highlight the passage at 21:27

21:47 clear that you're not after any attainment. You're just here comfortable in your body and in time comfortable in your mind. So Report an error in the passage at 21:47 Highlight the passage at 21:47

22:11 hopefully you're all sitting comfortably and if you Report an error in the passage at 22:11 Highlight the passage at 22:11

22:39 need to... Take a couple of deep breaths. And Report an error in the passage at 22:39 Highlight the passage at 22:39

· · · silence, 1 minute

23:20 this evening is time for myself. This is the time that I care for myself. All Report an error in the passage at 23:20 Highlight the passage at 23:20

23:35 those duties that I've been doing throughout the day, they're done now. And all this business can wait until tomorrow. It Report an error in the passage at 23:35 Highlight the passage at 23:35

23:49 can all wait. Report an error in the passage at 23:49 Highlight the passage at 23:49

24:19 Maybe it may be helpful to bring up something that brings you peace, whether it's a dharma teaching. or some nature that you've seen that's brought you some peace. Report an error in the passage at 24:19 Highlight the passage at 24:19

24:40 Let's sit with that for the next half an hour or so and Report an error in the passage at 24:40 Highlight the passage at 24:40

24:50 I will guide you out of the meditation after that. If Report an error in the passage at 24:50 Highlight the passage at 24:50

· · · silence, 5 minutes

30:00 any thoughts enter your mind, just observe them like light clouds in the sky that just pass by. They are not a problem. Just let them go. Report an error in the passage at 30:00 Highlight the passage at 30:00

· · · silence, 21 minutes

51:35 So we are now... We're nearly coming to the end of the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 51:35 Highlight the passage at 51:35

51:44 Having your eyes still closed, let's review the meditation. Did you have trust in yourself? Did Report an error in the passage at 51:44 Highlight the passage at 51:44

51:59 you have trust in the dharma? The Report an error in the passage at 51:59 Highlight the passage at 51:59

52:07 Buddha said that just by watching the in-breath and the out-breath, taking it to the very end, we can end all our suffering. Do we trust that? It Report an error in the passage at 52:07 Highlight the passage at 52:07

52:40 is that confidence in this that... Just doing the breath meditation can bring one peace. Believing in that is very helpful for the meditation to progress. Report an error in the passage at 52:40 Highlight the passage at 52:40

53:16 Another thing that I didn't mention is that when you're meditating, just imagine you're in the presence of the Buddha that is there saying that you can do it. You can find that peace. Report an error in the passage at 53:16 Highlight the passage at 53:16

53:34 And for me, that is very helpful. I use that in my meditation practice. Now Report an error in the passage at 53:34 Highlight the passage at 53:34

53:46 coming back to your body, to where you're sitting, we Report an error in the passage at 53:46 Highlight the passage at 53:46

54:03 can end the meditation now. Report an error in the passage at 54:03 Highlight the passage at 54:03

54:08 You can open your eyes. Report an error in the passage at 54:08 Highlight the passage at 54:08