"Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to the recognition. Without our fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. ... Using the word "enlightenment" in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants." -- from A NEW EARTH: Awakening to our Life's Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle. Copyright September 2006.
7 comments:
Excellent entry. I enjoyed reading it and now I'm sitting here wondering what each different flower would mean.
Good question. Although now that I'm thinking about it, there are lists of meanings for each type of flower from Victorian times. I have to see if I can find that list somewhere.
The book I took the quote from is very Zen. I think the answer from the book would be something like they have no meanings, because they are.
You know...Zen things sometimes really irritate me. I think they come up with this stuff because they don't really have an answer.
:)
I know what you mean. You have to be in the right mood for it.
The book has been surprisingly enjoyable, though! I feel like I'm really understanding some things about being happy.
Either it's the book, or maybe it's the new hormone therapy pills I'm taking...
That's so funny. It's probably the pills...
I went to the doctor's once and told them how great I was doing, they realized they had left me on a high dosage of one of my meds for too long and lowered it. It just felt so mean. I was so pleased and they took it back. Of course staying on it would have led to all sorts of nasty stuff...but, still...
I like this entry too. And yes, there is much to learn from the blooming and the withering of a flower. There are lessons pertaining to Life, to our/this Existence. If one could understand the lessons expounded one would have a good grasp of what Life is about.
By the way, the Zen of today is much too commercialised to be taken seriously. When you experience Zen, you will know it -intuitively. :-)
I am trying to become more enlightened. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't... Probably, mostly it doesn't. But I keep trying! :)
Post a Comment