Discovering solace

By Charith Pelpola

As there are re- gions in the forest, so there are regions in the mind. I dwell within it, at the feet of trees; beneath the roof of a silent, drip-ledge cave. By instruction. With the teachings of faith; of devotion.

Through the sacred groves I walk, with my robes held close to me. The saffron of its cloth sighs gently, lightened by the breath of the breeze. I follow enduring footsteps; staying true to the path through the woods. Finding solace here, sensing my teacher's Teacher, who sought refuge beneath hallowed boughs and solitary stone. Who initiated dhamma, the Truth, so peaceably beneath the trees.

Into the sensual forest I came as a student, clinging to the guiding hands of his teacher. But my teacher taught me to be independent, and when my lessons were over, I found self-reliance. Like a lotus, attached neither to water nor to mud, I was now attached neither to sensual pleasures nor to the world. I was unfettered like a deer in the forest.

I share my retreat with brothers and sisters of my robe. We possess little. But by abstaining from humanity, we discovered something of ourselves. Our hearts subdued the fear in the forest, and our minds found beauty where eyes had been blinded.

The forest is the garden of the Sage's virtue. I fear not the cries of the devil bird, nor the mourning calls of the jackal. I am protected by the sacred trees, as the earth is contained by the same sheltering sky. We are kin to the green. Children of simpler spirits. Visvakarman has provided fruits from the trees. He has fashioned shelter within the twisting roots; amidst the nurturing, decaying wood. We lack nothing. There is no want, I remain ever in the wooded seclusion of my island.

Within the sacred groves, beneath the monastery of caves, we live with compassion: amongst symbols of faith and devotion. We protect the wood; the bearer of sustenance, water, and medicine. For without the forest there is no path, and without the path there can be no future for the children of the earth.

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