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The Buddha’s teaching is “for those The Noble Eightfold Path can be For our short term pleasure and
with little dust in their eyes”. It practiced in the wilderness or in comfort we are using up the
is not an exclusive teaching. He a village, in a city or a town, when planet’s non-renewable resources,
emphasized letting go of desire alone or with others. The truth is polluting the oceans, and increasing
and identification to find lasting that we are all living in nature. Our the levels of carbon dioxide in the
happiness. bodies are nature, breath is nature, Earth’s atmosphere. The cost of this
food, water, and air are nature, urine is ever increasing climate chaos,
Homelessness or wandering was and excrement are nature too. There global warming and damage to our
encouraged for Buddhist monastics, is a constant exchange with what we beautiful planet Earth. Because we
but the Buddha didn’t recommend call “me” and what we call “the outer don’t connect the dots between
wilderness practice for everyone. world”. This is the nature of things. our actions and their impacts, we
When you are established in good It can be hard to see this when keep on getting further and further
ethics, have freedom from remorse living in a city, designed by humans into debt. When we adjust to live
and a reasonable level of samadhi, for human convenience, and start in attunement with nature, and
then maybe you are ready to to believe that we are in control or with our higher Buddha nature,
practice alone in the wilderness. above nature. This is a delusion. happiness arises. By caring for the
First, we have to tame our hearts web of life, we care for all beings.
and minds a little. Maintaining a daily meditation
practice, spending time in nature, The Buddha gave a simile of a hen
The Noble Eightfold Path is the path studying and discussing the sitting on her eggs. After she lays
that leads to the ending of dukkha. It Dhamma, developing ethics and her eggs, they need to be kept warm
is a whole life path, which includes generosity and spending some time in order for the chicks to develop
training in the five ethical precepts, in retreat each year can all support and eventually hatch. So long as the
practicing meditation, and reflecting the awakening process. hen sits on her eggs, keeping them
on the impermanent nature of warm, they will hatch, there is no
all conditioned things. This is a The Buddha often used examples need for her to say “Oh, I want my
practice for everyone. and metaphors from nature to eggs to hatch! Please eggs, hatch
illustrate his teachings. Can you safely.” because she is doing what
In the Theragāthā, we read share some examples in today’s is needed for that natural process
about the Buddha’s enlightened modern context? to happen. If she lets the eggs get
disciples living in the wilderness cold, no matter how much she may
in wonderfully evocative nature The Buddha spoke of sensual wish that the eggs hatch safely, they
poetry. Does this mean that only pleasures as being like a debt. What won’t. Our practice is like this. If we
monks living in nature can attain does this mean today? take care of our Buddhist practice,
enlightenment? we will eventually “hatch out” of the
Society tells us that following limitations of our fears and desires,
The monks you mentioned in the desire will lead to happiness, and experience freedom.
Theragāthā had already attained but the happiness we experience
enlightenment and were enjoying through the senses is temporary. During the Buddha’s time,
the peace of meditating in the It’s gratifying for a moment, and deforestation was not a problem,
wilderness with hearts free from then it’s gone. Once it’s gone, we go but it is today, including in many
greed, hatred and delusion. In the on to seek happiness in some other Buddhist countries. How can we
Therīgāthā you will also find nuns external source. This is an endless encourage lay Buddhists and
who enjoyed that same freedom. process, until we stop. monastics to be more actively
engaged in protecting and
conserving the forest?