We often forget that, beneath all our complex plans and swirling worries, our minds are woven from the very same fabric as the natural world around us. Just like the earth, water, fire and air, our core elemental nature is designed to experience, process and absorb the vast spectrum of life without being shattered by it. This beautiful guidance of a wise father to his son serves as a gentle homecoming to the truth — that we possess an innate, elemental capacity to let our thoughts drift by like passing weather while remaining completely whole.
‘Look upon this earth, Rahula,’ he (The Buddha) said (to his son). ‘Whether we place beautiful objects on it, like flowers and incense, or if we dirty it with excrement, it receives everything, without clinging nor with aversion. Even as it provides nourishment, it also receives all creatures into itself when they die, making no distinction.
‘Observe the water, Rahula. We wash our dirty linen in it, we wash ourselves with it. Whether we pour milk into it or we wash our dirty feet in it, it accepts both. It remains ever capable of nourishing and purifying.
‘Learn from fire too. Fire burns all things in its path, without distinction. It does not stop to judge whether they are pure or impure, it merely exercises its power to burn, purify and transform. Dwell upon the nature of the air, Rahula. It bears along all fragrances, pleasant or unpleasant. It accepts the warmth of the sun’s rays, soaks up moisture from lakes and ponds, bringing rain onto the rooftops of huts and palaces alike.
‘All these elements remain unchanged, bearing along what has come their way with neither clinging nor aversion. Just so, when pleasant or unpleasant thoughts arise in your mind, do not cling to them. Recognise them as just thoughts and allow them to pass through you…’
Source: The Buddha by Supriya Rai, Indus Source Books, Spiritual Masters series
Image: Postage stamps issued by Macao on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Buddha in 2021.