Everything Is the Buddha

Recently, we began a project to bring the garden into alignment with our sustainability focus. To do this transformation, we looked at how a permaculture design might be applied to the garden, so that the land, the inhabitants who occupy the land--from the tiniest of organisms deep within the soil, to the critters who visit or make their homes there--as well as us humans, can all be cared for in a mindful, loving, and sustainable manner.  

 

And the transformation is already underway! With a number of our existing beds, we have begun to build up a thick layer of mulch. Using compost, oak leaves, and wood chips, the beds are being blanketed with an extra foot or more! of organic matter that, when broken down, will enliven and nourish the soil, readying it for more self-sustaining plantings that will in turn become a "living mulch."

 

To me, this process of transformation in the garden very much represents the transformation that happens through practice. When we start out in practice, we are often in a place of needing much care and attention. As our practice deepens, we are enlivened and nourished by both practice, and by practicing, such that over time (as we Up Our Game!), we become more self-sustaining. In doing so, we can then offer ourselves as a living expression of compassion, a "living compassion," to All.