Okra flower and pod photo by Bob Richmond
Imagine a gardener going to
the farming supply store and buying seeds indiscriminately; he doesn’t even bother
to look at the packs to see what vegetables he’s chosen. After planting the
seeds and watering them for many weeks, the plants begin to produce flowers and
then vegetables. But the gardener becomes upset and frustrated when he sees
what has grown: “I didn’t want okra, peppers and peas! I wanted tomatoes, cucumbers
and squash!” His friends question him as to why he didn’t look at the seed
packets before planting the seeds. Mind training allows us to be aware of the
seeds of emotions and thoughts before we plant them. The mind’s yield of words
and actions are based on the seeds we’ve sown and watered there. The three
gates are the virtues of the mind, speech and body, and we would be wise to be
aware of what we allow to pass through them. What passes through those gates will
likely wind up growing in our yard, whether we want it to or not.
Every act, word, and thought in our
daily life has the power to bring forth a fruit.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
For more information on the forty-seventh slogan, go here.
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