This Monday Andy will facilitate.
Just as in spring we consider what seeds we want to plant to enjoy later in the year, be it flowers, fruits or vegetables, so it is with selecting which seeds we need to plant or nurture in our deep consciousness. As Thay writes: “Whether we have happiness or not depends on the seeds in our consciousness. If our seeds of compassion, understanding, and love are strong, those qualities will be able to manifest in us. If the seeds of anger, hostility, and sadness in us are strong, then we will experience much suffering”.
Every act we make through our body, speech and mind sows seeds in our consciousness, and our store consciousness preserves and maintains these seeds. Our (hopefully) daily practice is to recognize and water the wholesome seeds in ourselves and in others. Our happiness and the happiness of others depends on this!
The first step toward becoming an accomplished gardener is to develop our awareness of how the quality of our lives is influenced by the seeds that have been watered. Everything that affects our consciousness enters metaphorically as a seed. The work of the gardener is that of gatekeeper and protector of the garden of our consciousness. Thay explains “Our mind is a field, in which every kind of seed is sown—seeds of compassion, joy, and hope, seeds of sorrow, fear, and difficulties.”
Using this awareness, think of a typical day. What kind of seeds or information are you allowing to enter your consciousness via the internet, TV, people in your life, and your conversations? Consider how we might protect our consciousness as well as the precious gardens of those around us.
Be a bud sitting quietly on the hedge.
Be a smile, one part of wondrous existence.
Stand here. There is no need to depart.
– Thich Nhat Hahn