Spiritual Interludes

During a recent Sunday group meditation at Hsihu Center, fellow practitioners split into groups to tidy up and beautify the environment. I was assigned to do some horticultural work. In the course of my work, I gained deep insights into life. If I were to be a competent gardener, I would have to prune the older and withered twigs, weed the grass, and water and fertilize the plants in the garden regularly. Only in this way would I be able to cultivate a beautiful, thriving garden

Fellow practitioners know that they must practice diligently to attain the ultimate level, but what subtle points should we bear in mind? As I was engrossed in pruning the hedges, I noticed that I had to trim the irregular branches until the bushes looked uniform. That inspired me on to this introspection: If we go off the track or become sluggish on our spiritual path, that is the time when branches grow in all directions. And that is the time when God has to use Hiers pruning shears on us, to give us a hand!

Just as I was glad that I had finished my job, the brother in charge came along to inspect our work. He commented that we had not been thorough enough, and more trimming was required. Again, we started to prune the out-of-place twigs. When the job was finally done, I was suddenly enlightened! Never for one moment should we be complacent in our spiritual cultivation and think that we have completely followed Master's teachings. If we fail to introspect thoroughly, we will fall easily into traps of self-delusion. Fortunately Master has been educating us through all kinds of work, and reminding us of our faults in our work and spiritual practice through the words of a third person.

Although we were wet with perspiration as we worked, deep inside we felt blissful for having realized some spiritual insights. Having finished our work, we took a shower and changed into clean clothes, which swept away our fatigue. As we looked back at the garden so full of life, so beautiful and clean, we felt comforted both in mind and body!