“Penetrate this Present Depth”
(Written on 11th July, during my second day staying at Cittaviveka Buddhist Monastery. This was my immediate authentic reaction to seeing the incredibly vast and expansive forest within their grounds. A magical experience to feel so alive and connected to nature’s infinite beauty. The title and state I was in was very much inspired by an apochryphal saying of the Christ:
“Look with wonder at what is before you … penetrate this present depth.” )
An abundant array of colour among an inescapable tidal wave of green in all it's glory. Rays of persistent sunshine meet my awe-struck gaze, poking through the delicate canopy like a grand light-show. The spectacle continues as I shift my attention to the crumpling footsteps, revealing a microcosmic empire of life beneath the surface. Where plush, majestic moss unites in a collective effort as far as the eye can see, colonies of fungi find gratitude in the same moist habitats. Momentarily lost in a dance of appreciation, I somehow miss that I am in the presence of Titans…
Megalithic structures breathe life into the vast landscape before me. The wider I cast my awareness, the more all-encompassing this civilisation becomes. At first intimidating in their magnitude, these Titans reveal a far more curious agenda. I catch a glimpse of a brotherhood in action...
A towering giant, with aggressively exaggerated, twisted branches who could dominate his environment with ease. Yet what I witness challenges my conditioned preconceptions. Instead, he chooses to support a struggling brother, offering a sturdy branch to lean on. Utilising ancestral wisdom, in knowing his resources can be infinitely shared with conscious cooperation.
As my awareness expands even further, I find the true lessons in my magical expedition. Not one of simply sensical beauty, but one of a revelation of a mirrored nature within our innate essence as beings on this planet.
