Enlightenment

Sitting Under the Bodhi Tree

“The Bodhi tree is a very old, very sacred fig tree located in Bodh Gaya, India.  It is the tree under which Siddhartha Gautama, spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism, is said to have achieved enlightenment.  It is recognized by its heart-shaped leaves and takes one-hundred to three-thousand years to fully grow.”

                                  Wikipedia

         The Bodhi tree, where the Buddha reached enlightenment almost three-thousand years ago, is also a metaphor for patience, for waiting until the time is right, waiting until the head and heart are in alignment.  Waiting.  The very thing that is hardest for most of us to do.  We Americans want things to happen right NOW!  Instant gratification is the name of the game.  I am no different from anyone else.  I hate to wait.  Nobody has ever accused me of being too patient.

         When I was a child, my great-aunt and uncle had a cherry tree growing in their back yard.  Whenever we went to visit in summer, I would climb the tree and eat as many cherries as my belly would hold.  Once when we went in the spring, the cherries weren’t yet ripe.  I tried to eat them anyway, even though my uncle warned me against it.  I stuffed sour, half-ripe cherries down my throat fearing that I wouldn’t be there when they were ripe.  I won’t tell the sordid outcome of that unfortunate adventure.

         There are times when waiting is necessary—the nine months it takes for a human infant to gestate, for instance, or until the doctors give you the results of your tests, or waiting until Christmas or a special birthday.  Waiting is a fact of life, albeit one we don’t especially like. 

         Sometimes in the creative process, waiting is essential.  An idea springs into the mind, but the mechanics of bringing that idea into concrete reality is a process of trial and error.  That, too, is an uneasy time.  It’s messy and frustrating.  Sometimes I try to force something to happen before its time because I can’t stand the suspense.  Almost always, that is a mistake.  The outcome is less than gratifying. 

         Waiting for God-time, for inspired time, is not a comfortable passage.  Yet, frequently, what we need to do with decisions large and small, is wait.  Wait until the fruit is ripe.  Wait until the way is clear, the image is sharp, the means present themselves.  Wait.

                                  Shalom,

                                  Jane