Today has been cold and rainy and now that I am settled for the evening, in front of a warm fire, I find myself in the mood for a little philosophising.
“This walk on Bindon Hill brings to the fore three important themes of landscape reading: everything changes, everything is connected, and everything has multiple causes.” Patrick Whitefield – Permaculture teacher.
For the last few years I have felt a convergence between many of the different facets of my life and an awareness of the subtle threads that run through my various perspectives. What is interesting to me is that these things are all based on experience and observation of the world around me, though they may be presented within different philosophies, ideas or world views.
Two such things which are fundamental to both my experience of nature and my love of Buddhist teachings for example, are the truth of connection and flow – or Interbeing, and the truth of change. I may call myself a ‘buddhist’, ‘nature lover’, ‘permaculturist’ or any other number of labels, but ultimately these are just concepts that help give structure to the actual experience of living in the world.
Two of the key principles of Buddhism are that all phenomena are impermanent and that they have no inherent self. This is what I see reflected in the natural world at all times, these simple truths of change and interbeing which underpin our entire existence. As humans we tend to want things to be solid, linear, permanent and unchanging as all these qualities make life easier for the mind to conceptualise and create pattern, formula and theory from. But if we look closely we can see that nothing exists without dependence on numerous other factors in a delicate balance which allows for continuous change and transformation. Ultimately, these two truths are really one because when everything is seen to be in a state of change and flow, there cannot be said to be any independent or inherently existing self, only a kind of beautiful dance and the awareness thereof.
‘When we take a step on the green earth, we are aware that we are made of air, sunshine, minerals and water, that we are a child of earth and sky, linked to all other beings, both animate and inanimate. This is the practice of non-self.’ Thich Nhat Hanh – Buddhist monk, teacher and peace activist.
It seems to me that the perceived tension between the natural world and modern Western society is a reflection of the tension between our own true nature and ego or independent identity.
Where as the natural world can be clearly seen to be inter-dependant, constantly changing, selfless, connected and whole, the world of modern man is an attempt to build something lasting, stable, individual and solid. It is an attempt to shut out what, in our deepest hearts we know ourselves to be and instead create more and more strands to weave into the web that is the illusion of a separately existing self.
The current scientific culture provides a similar example. Nothing can be considered logical or ‘true’ unless the mind can create a theory from it. Again we can see the attempt to make definitive ‘laws’ of the universe as an attempt to create something unchanging, ‘real’, and solid in order to pacify this egoic state of delusion that we are all subject to at some point. The thing that is often overlooked however is that theories themselves are continually changing. One idea of the universe is disproved and gives way to another and another and yet at each stage of development, we hang on to these theories as if they were a lifeline and desperately try to stamp on anyone whose ideas are conflicting. And it is a lifeline – a lifeline for the ego which will destroy everything in its attempt to keep hold of the fallacy that it is a separate, unique and independently existing entity.
Many of us experience a pull to nature, just as underneath the cultural obsessions with shopping, celebrity and the mundane details of life there is always a pull into own own hearts. This conflict is written through our landscapes and our lives, even though the resolution lies closer than our own breath. The clues are everywhere; in how each wave is unique but is really just part of the ocean, in how the clouds arise and pass but do not obscure the sky, how the seasons in the forest are ever changing and how the cells of our bodies die and are renewed so many times in our lifespan.
If we can open our eyes and open our hearts to look around us, we see the whole world is whispering this most plain, yet most secret of truths, and it is saying ‘we have not forgotten who we are, we have not forgotten who we are.’
A wonderful post, and I wholeheartedly agree. I keep working on expanding my awareness…
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Thank you Angie. Wishing you many blessings.
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I suppose part of it is that humans are, as a general rule, both convinced of their own superiority and terrified of their own impermanence. If they only stopped and thought about it, they’d soon realise that nothing ever ends – it only returns to the source and is reborn again in a different shape. Seems a tragic mentality that mankind has developed, if you ask me. Lovely, thought provoking post, Lucinda!
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I totally agree and you put it beautifully. I suppose the great joke is that even whilst believing ourselves to be something other, we are still not separate from what we actually are.
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Hi Lucinda,
You think very deeply my friend. It is so interesting to read your views, and learn from them.
I am part of nature…….I always feel at my best when I am walking alone with Nella or working in the garden. My garden is my church, I find peace and comfort amongst the greenery.
It is easy to lose sight of what is around us………
It is lovely to know you are out there, just being you 🙂
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Thank you Cheryl, I feel just the same about you and the little moments of joy and beauty your blog brings to my day.
Take care dear friend.
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Lucinda,
You have blown my mind as usual 🙂 Letting go – embracing change – these are the hardest lessons for us humans, but the most beautiful ones to be taught as well (especially when taught in your loving, gentle manner). Thank you for such lovely thoughts and reminders. Today I noticed the buds on the trees for the first time, and felt so grateful for transformation. Winter will do that 🙂
Love to you,
D
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Hey Danielle,
Yes the winter is passing isn’t it, though to be honest I feel a bit like we’ve missed winter altogether here and had an extended autumn running into early spring. Today my Dad sent me a picture message of the first Daffodil in his garden!
It’s been lovely seeing all your snowy pictures and connecting with that wintery feeling by proxy.
Another quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that I love is ‘you do not suffer because things are impermanent, you suffer because you believe them to be permanent.’ So true I thought!
Much love to you 🙂 xxxx
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[…] I had a completely different idea of what I was going to write about this week. But after reading the latest always wondrous post by Lucinda over at Whispering earth, I decided to go in a different direction. (As well as a different direction from her […]
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Another great post Lucinda! And I love hearing the thinking of another Herbuddhist (Herbal Buddhist…) 😉
It got me thinking and even caused me to scrap the post I was going to do this week on my blog for something different but inspired in part by yours!
Michael
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Thanks Michael, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I love the fact that all us herby bloggers inspire each other… another example of interbeing. 🙂
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Hello Lucinda, so nice to come across your blog. Such lovely expression, so eloquently shared, I feel it all but find the translation into words from sense & feeling quite challenging its so helpful to read beautifully written expression. Thankyou. Yes, the underlying medium encompassing things – to me – is all things. All as one, integral part of the whole yet simultaneously all being our beautifully independent parts. It seems the minds’ expectations & judgments complicate Natures gifts of such wonderful life, exquisite beings, love, creation etc. So it seems its the Souls’ evolution which needs to be remembered, nourished & blossom. We seem – as a generation – at times to be information loaded yet starving for knowledge. I wander, sit, feel, enjoy then as soon as I start to think it doesn’t take too long before I have to get out of my own mind .. the bigger picture, the changes, the process, the progress, learnings, lessons 🙂 I live up on a hill too, perhaps its always the place to think . . such broad, birds eye perspectives 🙂
I am just learning about the labels, titles & names of Nature’s gifts & really enjoying the challenge. I live surrounded by trees, chose our home because of the trees & sky 🙂 . . lovin the tree lovers 😀
Abundant Blessings
P
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Thank you for your beautiful comment P. You also express the connections between all life in a wonderful way. I am sure living on a hill helps to gain great perspective on the passage of time and nature. Thank you for stopping by and many blessings to you too.
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