Beyond the Clouds

Tomorrow is Hanamatsuri – celebration of Buddha’s birth. It literally means flower festival. This is the time of year when the cherry blossom and other flowers are in full bloom in Japan, probably the most vibrant time of year. I’ve not been to Japan but I’ve been to Korea where there are streets lined with cherry blossom trees and have seen the petals fall like pink rain when the wind blows. It's very beautiful and also very sad watching the delicate pink petals fall from the the tree; floating and falling gently onto the ground; carpeting the pavement with a soft pink only to slowly decompose; turn brown, and get trampled on by us.

On this day, we celebrate not only the Buddha’s birth, but human life in general. We see that like the fragile cherry blossom our own lives are just as fragile, who knows when the gust of wind will blow: here today gone tomorrow. We give our thanks by sharing our life with others in a kind and generous way. Coming together, sharing the beauty, thinking about the Buddha and what his birth meant to us is important. He has, afterall, made it possible for us to practice a way of life that will lead to rebirth in the Pureland. He has opened up the gates of generosity, wisdom and faith. He has taught us that our own birth is like a seed planted in a garden. Our life, just like the seed, dependent on so many other conditions, so many unfathomable factors, eventually will grow just like a flower grows without even knowing what sort of flower it is.

Just like the flower in it's early phase as a bud, we spend most of our lives like a bud, closed and full of potential and beauty. We struggle to change the conditions to open up and feel more alive, we face the challenges of being overshadowed by bigger trees as it were, or left in an area where no sun falls. The push to bring the sun closer, or the attempt to move the clouds or trees out of the way so we can feel the glorious rays of sunshine and warmth on yours truly only make the coldness, the darkness and the bitter tears more palpable.

And then, out of the blue, when we least expect it, the sun comes out, the clouds and the conditions around us change, and we feel ourselves starting to open. The blossoming of a flower has nothing to do with the flowers' attempt to blossom. This stage, too, is dependent on other causes and conditions. And when the light falls on us it is an act of grace. Our struggle to control everything around us ceases and we start to soften around the edges, giving and doing kind things to others. And as we open and the light touches our hearts the seeds of faith start to form.

The Buddha, truly a remarkable person, spent years practicing asceticism and finally through no effort of his own, experienced something that gave rise to an unshakeable faith in the Dharma. He was open to the light and the warmth of the Dharma, and as a result, sowed lots of seeds of faith that have remained in this world today and are still with us now.

Every kind and generous act is like the blossoming of faith. As we practice patience, generosity, and compassion (just to name a few good practices) we open and seeds of faith form.

My faith is that all things will grow in the light and strength of something universal, something eternal. This is the solid ground on which we live our lives. We, just like the cherry blossom trees flower and then fall away, but the ground and the light and the praise for the Buddha remain ready for the newly sown seeds to germinate and sprout into more colourful and vibrant flowers.

Embraced by the light of Amida
My life which is fragile
As the morning dew
Now lives forever
~Lilikoi No Sato