Breathing in, I see myself as a flower.
Breathing out, I feel fresh.
Flower/Fresh
This is the first part of a short meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh (a Vietnamese Zen teacher). Through these simple reflections, he invites us to see ourselves as one with different elements of Nature, and thus connect with different aspects of our being. In this four-part series, we will explore each one of these.
May they inspire us to connect with the freshness, solidity, tranquility, and freedom that is always available to us.
After incessant rains, the crisp morning air brought with it the heavenly aroma of the frangipanis (plumerias) from my neighbour’s garden. I drank in the smell thirstily, hoping that I would be able to carry some of that lightness of being through the day. I wish I could say that I was successful, but soon after the world came knocking and the heart felt heavier. Thankfully, I was reminded of the importance of tapping into our inner founts of joy during these times by one of the beautiful tribes that I am part of. As we shared our hopes and sorrows in a virtual circle, I noticed that I started smiling more. And, a strange thing happened – the more I saw myself smiling, the more I smiled.
In the dharma talk related to the flower/fresh meditation, Thich Nhat Hahn reminds us that when we smile and greet each other, we are offering the gift of flowers:
“When I greet someone, I can greet them with my eyes, that is greeting them with two flowers.
If I greet them with my smile, that is another flower. And my hands can each be a flower. When I greet someone and bow to them, I say something like this: a flower for you, Buddha to be.”
So, today I promised myself that I will try and greet everyone and everything with a flower/smile, whether it’s in person, on a screen, or in a mirror.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, a heart-felt smile can easily traverse the recommended distance of social distancing, much like the fresh fragrance of plumerias from the neighbour’s garden.
I know it won’t be possible all the time and some days it will be impossible. Even if we manage to access that freshness of a flower for a moment, it’s okay.
In that brief moment, we might just find ourselves dancing in the meadow with the daisies, eagerly turning towards the sun like a sunflower, or serenely floating in a pond like a lotus.
- If you close your eyes and breathe in, do you see yourself as a flower?
- If yes, what kind of flower and what are the qualities it embodies?
- Is there an aspect of your life that needs some freshness and joy?
- Can you see someone else like a flower when you greet them today?
Here is a short talk by Thich Nhat Hahn about the flower/fresh meditation. The full meditation can be found here.
To be continued…
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