Earth Speaks, Buddha Listens

One of the best ways to get to know an area is to learn its language. This helps us appreciate the way long-term inhabitants frame their world and, perhaps, offers us a glimpse into another way of seeing. We can travel and take in the scenery without ever knowing how natives perceive their environment. So, the question is: Do we really see anything if we do not look through the eyes of those who live there? How do locals speak of their experience and breathe life into their perceived world?

We often don’t realize how the mind frames its reality through language. I was raised speaking an American version of English in one of its western U.S. dialects. So, I use that tongue to describe experiences without thinking about how others would express the same thing. If I don’t invite a dialog with people of diverse points of view, I will be held prisoner to my nearsightedness.

Fortunately, I have been influenced by several languages: Spanish, Latin, Sanskrit, Tibetan, and a few North American indigenous languages. Also, I have some familiarity with scientific jargon, as in the naming of plants. All of these influences deepen my understanding by including other voices in my experiences. There’s more than one way to see everything! 

But learning another language and another way of perceiving is not limited to human communication. What about the language of the environment itself? We inhabit a planet and most of us so-called “civilized” folks fail to learn its language—we assume humans are the only life forms worth listening to. No wonder the Earth is ailing! We do not listen to her.

I often refer to the symbolism of Buddha reaching down to touch the Earth as a gesture of his awakening. The Earth witnesses and brings to life his enlightenment. If we are Buddhist practitioners, we aspire to embody that moment of awakening, to experience that gesture in our own wisdom mind. This is facilitated by settling the mind and listening to what the natural world teaches.

In other words, awakening to our original mind is akin to remembering our lost indigenous roots. We need to reawaken our capacity to hear the subtle language of the natural environment as it echoes in our unconditioned awareness. It is the language of spaciousness and interconnection. Of course, my indigenous friends have always known this. I am glad their voices are beginning to be heard and heeded. It just might heal the planet.