CrankyBuddhist   the learning never ends …

One of the things about living in the SF Bay Area is that the seasons of the year are all twisted. That story used to demonstrate the possibility of reincarnation, you know the one, about the leaves falling from the trees in the fall and sprouting again in the spring doesn’t really apply here. Well, it does and it doesn’t. It depends on which tree you happen to be looking at.

So while people in other areas of the country are contemplating sweeping snow and driving on ice, I’ve been going out into the yard to play in the dirt. We had a good rain here a couple of weeks ago so things started to sprout. I’ve been showering the yard with water on occasion, ever since the rain, in hopes that the bulbs will soon bloom. The garden out in front of the house is sort of a mystery. No one really knows what exactly is planted there. The Calla Lilies are obvious, and so is the Rosemary and Heliotrope and the Japanese Maple Tree. But the bulbs are starting shoot leaves and some Cyclamens appeared on the porch and those will go into pots.

It feels good to get my hands in the dirt, planting something that will grow and live and give pleasure to all those who walk by …

It has on occasion snowed in the desert in southern Arizona. But if you’ve read the news reports today, you’ll see that today the snow actually stuck. Which makes this snowfall different from those in the past. Global-warming? Could be. Another sign that the world is changing? Could be.

Whether or not they are or aren’t signs of a changing planet, it’s important that we take these signs as a call to change our living habits. Even if you don’t believe that global-warming is coming, or may already be here, there is a need for everyone to contemplate the ways in which we live and how that affects the planet.

Many times in my life I have been given a clue-card, a concept or idea that I couldn’t wrap my mind around, couldn’t understand. The idea of impermanence. The concept of emptiness. The possibility of enlightenment. So I would take it on as a sort of mantra, I would let the thought run through my mind until I could grasp it and understand it. I would read everything I could about the subject until I intellectually understood it. Then I would go a step further and accept it.

So, for those of you who think life on this planet is unlimited, here is an idea for you to contemplate.

The Earth is a living, breathing, being that supports and sustains us. Her resources are limited and how we use, or waste, those resources affects our lives and our future lives, on the planet.

Knowledge is something that once attained, can’t be gotten rid of. Knowledge comes not only from study, but also from listening, contemplating and exploring. And once we have the knowledge, accept the knowledge we have gained, we can only act on it, and hopefully in a positive way.

Really, would it hurt to use fluorescent light bulbs? Have less drive-time in the car? Take public transportation? Recycle? Change your shower head? Build a smaller house?