By Kyotai Amanda Hill
“The purpose of a Zen community, to embody fully the reality of buddha nature, is not at all separate from achieving harmony with the natural environment and its rhythms. The community practice forms reflect the ecological Buddhist worldview of mutual interdependence.”
– Dogen, Pure Standards for a Zen Community
The days grow longer, the sun appears higher in the sky, and a tiny crocus peeks through the snow – the first breaths of spring come to our attention. Being engaged with ourselves and the environment, the separateness disappears.
Observing the Winter Sky
Orion, the hunter, has long been a favorite constellation of the winter sky as it’s easily identifiable with the three bright stars of his belt: Alnilam, Mintaka, and Alnitak. Even as we name these stars, imagining a picture and myth to explain our place in this universe, other cultures make alternate inferences. Lakota Native Americans viewed these same three stars as the back of a bison, with neighboring stars creating the remainder of the mammal.
Following the line of Orion’s belt to the north, you will find Pleiades, a star cluster also known as the Seven Sisters because of its seven main visible stars. Subaru, the Japanese word for Pleiades, means “united” or “gather together.” For fans of The Lord of the Rings, this star cluster is thought to be the inspiration for Remmirath, rem (mesh) and mir (jewel), or the Netted Stars.
Awakening of the Forest
Male bears are beginning to emerge from hibernation, while their female counterparts will remain longer. We may begin to see the woodcocks as an initial sign of the spring migration, soon the warblers and songbirds will follow. The daffodils, snowdrops, and crocus begin to bloom, and minute red buds can be seen on the maple trees. The earth is opening before our eyes.
Below the Frozen Waters
As the ice begins to melt, the dripping sound of water permeates the air. The nutrients that have settled on the bottom of lakes and ponds over the winter stir, offering an opportunity for growth. All the dormant life, being nourished, slowly awakens to the spring. Soon the frogs’ resounding croaks will be evident.
I am reminded of Indra’s Net, which metaphorically represents dependent origination, depicting the universe as a network of interconnected jewels, each reflecting the light of others. Francis Cook wrote, “The Hua-yen school has been fond of this image, mentioned many times in literature because it symbolizes a cosmos in which there is an infinitely repeated interrelationship among all members of the cosmos.” I often consider this, acknowledging that all of my speech and actions affect things seen and unseen in my immediate and distant environments. Each of us reflects the other as jewels in a net or the moon on the ocean.
“Not a thing in the entire universe is missing from the present time. Observe and meditate on it deeply.” As we move into spring, Dogen’s words inspire us to take in everything, observe it deeply, feeling the unity of the internal and external.