In Buddhism, we acknowledge that life is suffering. As fatalistic as that sounds, there is truth to it. Have you ever felt caught between two worlds, suppressed by dualuty? It’s like bring trapped is a narrow crevasse, and there is s tectonic shift going on as the two world’s move further and further away from each other. But it’s not the kind of shift that opens the crevasse; it’s like two tectonic plates grinding along one another… like the San Andreas fault. Your body is crushed, scratched, pushed and pulled, and crying only worsens the pain.
If you find a way out of that narrow place, out into blissful openness, your refuge is Nature. Maybe there is an opening onto a quiet beach that you can escape to. Sit, and just listen to the waves, alone. The worlds pulling at you don’t matter. Just listen to the whisper of the sea.
Or it could be a forest. The wind in the branches and leaves, the voice of the green wild. Nature has the ability to soothe a bleeding heart, to bandage our wounds and ease our suffering. Its call to me is strong, and being unable to go to it only makes things worse.
Sit with the trees, breathe in, breathe out. Eat a bowl of rice, clean your bowl. Let life be see simple. That is Nature’s way.