The Lama and the Osprey

We are on the bank of the North Santiam River where it flows into Detroit Reservoir. This is apparently a very good fishing spot. Several fishing boats, with antenna-like rods sticking out in all directions, bob up and down with the current. Overhead, an Osprey hunts. She and two other fish hawks alternately soar, hover, then dive toward the water. Lama Rinchen is fascinated, taking pictures with his smart phone to show folks back in Nepal. 

The Ospreys seem unaffected by the presence of photographers and fisher-folk. They just do their thing. The hawks emit a high-pitched series of short whistles communicating their presence to us and other birds, signaling their territory and clearing the air beneath their gaze. Lama seems full of childlike joy as he watches the Ospreys to see if one will dive. For the birds, it is an experiment in purposeful hovering for awhile, then moving to another place to hover. For us, it is a practice of patience.

In the short time we are watching, the birds do not snag their supper—but they continue their search. I assume they are often successful since several hunt in the same location. Nature is amazingly diverse in how various life forms adapt to the elements for simple survival. The Ospreys have a particular niche to fill in this regard and they express it in perfect harmony. It is not so easy to see perfection in the niche we humans occupy.

If we were to hold natural phenomena as a mirror to our natural mind, and recognize the call to harmony, the planet would be quite different. The human impact would be transformed by a wish for all beings to survive. We would purposely hover, with great patience, before acting. 

It is an auspicious event, standing here with a Buddhist Lama and an Osprey. They both teach the same thing.