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Today's
Meditation:
How often do I look at miraculous things like flowers
without even seeing them, much less seeing the miracle of
a flower clearly? It's so easy to be caught up in
our own little worlds that the objects that surround
us--and that are there to astonish us, if we'd only
look--somehow become invisible, and we don't even see them
at all. And that's a shame.
Flowers really are miracles, even the tiny, intricate
ones. They're especially miraculous when we consider
their source--all of the flowers that we see come from
seeds, tiny things that we would wipe off our pants leg if
we saw them there, things that in no way seem capable of
holding the origin of bushes and plants and flowers.
The important thing, though, is not the miracle that a
flower is, but our ability to see and appreciate that
miracle.
It really isn't that hard to do. It takes slowing
down. It takes calming our minds so that we can
actually stop and look around to see what's around us at
any given time. It takes fixing our attention on
something that we normally don't look at with more than a
passing glance, and noticing just what it is, just what it
consists of, just how amazing it is.
And why would we take the time to do such a thing?
Well, as the Buddha told us so long ago, if we're able to
do so, then our whole lives will change. Then we'll
be able to live with appreciation and a sense of
wonder. We won't be fooled by the people who want us
to believe what they believe and buy what they're
selling. We'll see ourselves as part of a wondrous
world that's full of miracles, and we'll dedicate
ourselves to discovering and appreciating those miracles
instead of trying to turn our lives into a contest to see
who can collect the most material things before we die.
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