We all find it fascinating to realize that leaves are at their most stunning and beautiful when they are in the process of dying and falling off the tree. At the same time, we are challenged by the fact that life on this earth is always threatened by the possibility of death coming in and ending it suddenly and irrevocably. One of the traits of good spirituality is its ability to reveal the ways in which death is ALREADY present as a part of the most magnificent displays of life, during each and every moment of our existence on this earth. Meditation practice helps us see that every thought, emotion and phenomenon arises, reveals itself, and then dissipates, to be replaced by the re-arising of that same thought, emotion or phenomenon, or to be replaced by one that is different. At root, each of these thoughts, emotions and phenomena is like a stunning autumn or fireworks display, one whose essence explodes and dissipates in the very moment that it also reveals itself in all of its beauty. Liberation comes when we learn to identify ourselves with the "sky" of awareness and love out of which all of these thoughts, emotions and phenomena arise rather than with the phenomena themselves.
Photo: Narrowleaf Cottonwood trees ablaze with autumn color; near Livermore, CO; October 11, 2013
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