Opening like spring flowers

Looking at a flower is a chance to contemplate freshness, beauty and innocence.

Spring arrives with a blush of cherry blossom.

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh uses ‘gathas’ to bring to mind an object and an idea. In this case - the fresh beauty of a flower.

Gatha is a sanskrit term meaning song or verse. A gatha can be recited (usually mentally, not aloud) in rhythm with the breath as part of mindfulness practice. You can do this throughout your day or as part of your sitting meditation.

“As I breathe in I see myself as a flower. As I breathe out I am fresh.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

We can think of ourselves as flowers in the garden of humanity. Each one of us is different and beautiful in our own way. When you look at a flower you can appreciate its simple beauty. It is fresh - not weary of the world. It does not strive; it simply opens its petals. We can learn a lot from a flower.

Can we be more open? Can we show ourselves to others in an unassuming way? Children do it naturally yet somewhere along the way we lose that innocence. In contemplating a flower we are reminded that the innocence remains within and can be cultivated. We can choose to embody the flower - in its natural, fresh loveliness.

To view the world without stories. To view the world as it is right now - is to be fresh, like a flower.

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