I slid into the hot spring and sat quietly on the smooth stone as the snow fell all around. Soft and wet, the flakes melted on impact on the water, on the branches that reached over the pool and on my hair and face. The petite ice cubes kissed cold specks across my face, neck and shoulders. I leaned my head back and starred up into the dusty sky.
Near the tops of the trees, you could make out clearly the rate and size of the snowflakes. As I watched them falling, I concentrated on this area near the tops of the trees. At times I would pick a flake and watch it travel, but always, I moved my vision back up to the tree tops. This image, I thought, will help me with meditation. If each thought is a snow flake: do not stay with it; For it is only one snowflake (thought), and it will soon reach finality near the ground. Appreciate it, notice it, but keep your focus on the fact that it’s snowing (you’re alive).
As I continued to watch the snowflakes, I started to see a correlation to the individuality we all feel during our lifetime. The snowflake is born from the cloud, travels on it’s journey: changing shape, speed, direction and then becomes one with the earth — much like us. We are born, attach much purpose to how we change shape, speed, direction and then become one with the earth. Does each snowflake consider itself an individual – to what extent? I am an individual in the sense that I am unique and special, but then again so are you. I am an individual in that I have my own functions and my own thoughts, but then again so do you. So we are individuals – unique and special – but not separate for we were born from the same place and will return to the same place.
Our journey, our struggle are equal. The better we can empathize with each other, let go of how we are changing shape, speed and direction, the better we can help each other focus on the experience of being here now; being unique individuals on a journey from birth to death to be united as one. The sooner that we can help each other realize that we are actually one, the sooner our suffering can end. Perhaps we can practice first on the snowflakes.
