Moved to Stillness
When the Buddha started to move in the world after enlightenment, at first he thought it would be impossible to share his insight. Chinese hermits for thousands of years have been oscillating between life in seclusion seeking enligtenment in the mountains, and life helping to alleviate suffering in the midst of dusty world. Now our civilization teeters on the brink of collapse, and I am moved to stillness.
The universe is made of loving bonds. Electrons, protons, and neutrons are attracted to each other, circling within endless expanses of spaciousness between them, yet always held together. Scientists now think that electrons possess rudimentary intelligence in the same way we do. It seems like it may be time to let go of this thing we call human intelligence. Better to seek stillness.
I believe we need Sacred Civics; cocreating cities underpinned by a belief that all life and plantery health is sacred and needs careful stewarding. Even the English used to have Sacred Civics, like when 4,000 Britons spent millions of man hours building a monument, most probably to the ancestors, in alignment with the Sun and the Moon, geometry of nature. We need deep transformations in every aspect of human life in order to avoid this civilization slipping into the void. But it seems like most people aren’t ready for that, and real change takes time; it looks like it will take too long to unlearn and relearn in order to avoid calamity.
I wonder, if humans need to learn by drastic experience, if compounding climate impacts and dwindling human populations, will teach those of us left to be stewards of our planet and look after each other again, as Hayao Miyazaki forsaw in Nausicaä. I forsee much suffering ahead in the process of change.
I feel like I am called to do less. I understand what my friend meant now about “do nothing farming”. I walk down Cresta Avenue, and feel the wind move between my fingers, feel the it change direction slightly. I thank Tāwhirimātea for his touch. What wants to be born, what wants to die, what wants to emerge? Things surely can’t stay the same.
