Sunday, April 1, 2012

Parable of The Cherry Tree



To better understand Transcendental Generosity, consider the wisdom of the cherry tree. The cherry tree is one of the most beautiful and generous trees. In the winter, when her limbs are bare, she does not envy the pine trees their luscious green jackets. She does not rush to adorn herself. She waits; patiently, as the suns rays warm her; patiently, as the rain water nourishes; patiently, as her roots stretch into the earth. She takes her season of cold hibernation in stride and waits. She draws on the elements filling her self with sweetness and strength. She holds her potential within. And then, when the first touch of spring blows through the air, she is ready. She is eager and rested. Her buds are the first to appear and soon she is bursting with delicate white blossoms. She is radiant. But she does not guard her adornments jealously. She does not grasp at them and tell the world that they are for her and her alone. She does not hide them away in fear that others will think they are not beautiful, or that they will think them so beautiful they will steal them away. The gifts are simply a part her. She makes herself ready to give her gifts, should anyone be there to receive them. She is full of joy and vibrant delicacy. She is resplendent in her springtime glory, each sweetly scented blossom bright, delicate and full of life. When the wind blows gently passed her, she allows her petals to go with him. They dance, fluttering, to the ground and the whole world is struck with the beauty. Petals in the grass. Petals in the wind. Petals in the sunlight. Petals in the garden. Petals fall as though every moment is a celebration of some sacred magic. It is a gift to behold, if you are witness. And the gift is the generosity of the cherry tree. She is the source of this joy, which not so long ago was pulsing through her sap, waiting to be manifest.


As if this moment of spring-time bliss is not enough of a blessing, she ripens into summer with yet another gift; the sweet dark cherries that begin to appear on her branches. She fills them with life and makes them abundant. As they ripen, they sweeten, they plump, and then they fall to the ground and become the food to feed the birds and the insects and the squirrels and the people. And never does the cherry tree ask “What will you give to me, if I give you my gift?” Her gift is not an exchange, it is simply a manifestation of her nature. A question we all might consider is “What is my nature and what does it manifest in the world?” When we have answered this, we can begin to better understand why our lives produce the results they produce. If our nature is harsh and demanding we may constantly see people shying away from us. If our nature is gentle and soft, we may find that some will delight in this and love us for it, or that others will see it as a weakness and exploit it. If we are generous with who we are, like the cherry tree, sharing freely, expressing our gifts and making ready for those who would like to share in them, we can find ourselves drawing in just the right people to appreciate who we are. Suddenly life is much easier. We are understood in new ways. We are appreciated in new ways. We are loved in new ways. When we understand that everyone has some basic goodness in them, life becomes a matter of learning to patiently nourish that basic goodness - like the cherry tree in winter - until the conditions are right for them to spring forth. A question we might all consider is “What gifts do I have to give freely and how can I nourish those gifts?”

 
When we begin to see life as an opportunity to give our gifts to others, we   find that suddenly life is full of joy. For there are many ways to give. There are many ways to share. And we find that giving and sharing are incredibly meaningful experiences which add exponentially to feelings of general well-being.

And then what used to be a chore, like washing the dishes, is suddenly an opportunity to give to someone you love. It is an opportunity to make your space more harmonious. It is an opportunity to give someone else a rest from cleaning. And suddenly it is a joy. There is no other way to put it.

Or perhaps it could be put as in a saying I once heard “Service is love made visible.” When I began to use service as a way to make my love visible, it became incredibly rewarding.

To me, the cherry tree makes her love for the world visible in displaying her own nature. In bringing forth her own gifts she manifests love. And this is something we all could do. Anytime. All the time. The opportunities are endless. You just have to be ready to share.

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