by Xiaoyang Ren
Walking just as we have learned since we were born,
once toddling to now skilled.
The only purpose of walking we presume is to get us from one place to another.
When we were young,
we stumbled into the arms of our parents;
as teenagers, we walked to school with expectations;
and in the near future, society will become our next destination.
Along the way, walking in a one-way line constantly urged along by others,
one cannot turn back, one cannot to stop.
All the people we have met and loved
will become our passers-by,
they can only accompany us walking part of the way, long or short.
But, right now, when meditation helps us to leave behind our worries, sorrows, or yearnings,
is there a chance for us to pause for a moment in the rush of people?
To appreciate the ground, that which has given birth and nourished all living beings over eons —
our Mother Earth.
Beyond all the questions, we will definitely fall into her glorious landscapes.
As the sunshine penetrates through the leaves, it casts shadows on the buildings.
A remnant of summer’s warmth, with the delicate breeze that oozes through the heart.
In this pure, mindless meditation —
All the things that have been ignored and disregarded countless times before
will be brought back to the stage.
Those forgotten and missed, will be eulogized again.
Whispers from the universe chant the call of the wind.
The figures of our mother Earth that I have brushed on past, there are truths contained within her chest.
Let us go to the wider world to hear the edification of nature.
This circular nature that is the epitome of ourselves.
We grow up, we age, we die. And in our embers, new life takes root.
Nature will be immortal, and thus, we will be immortal.