In the Cool of a Summer’s Morning
This grass covered path is quiet and still, come, let us walk together for a little while. In the pleasant coolness of a bright and sunny early morning let us stroll down this path beside a river, its slow moving waters broad and shinning. As we wander let our pace be in harmony with our surroundings so that we become part of, and blend in with, the landscape through which we are walking. Even our occasional chat will be as hushed as the morning air.
Growing quiet we wander along our eyes becoming ever more aware of our surroundings, tiny blue, yellow and white flowers nestling in the short grass, small insects flying hither and thither and the subtle colours and whisper of taller grasses, moving in the light morning airs. Freely given, all of this combines to create the unique beauty of this place. Nobody about, not another soul; in this peacefulness it is easy to let go and experience the true character of the path; we two people effortlessly savouring the companionable silence that now enfolds us. On this soft grassy path, might we feel the reassurance and delight that true simplicity brings.
A plain life and a quiet mind
excel the finest luxuries
an easy heart and tattered robe
better far than finest silk
Baisao
Tr. Norman Waddell
Like us, the sun continues its daily path as it rises into the blue sky and, as the morning became warmer, we take a break and sit by the river for few minutes, losing ourselves in the exquisite scene set before us. What a wonderful day. The river runs still, deep and slow along this section of its course so that hardly a ripple disturbs its surface. All that stands along its banks, from tall mature trees to rambling bushes and newly blooming wild flowers, are perfectly reflected in the mirror of its water. This no grand display of nature’s powers, rather, the whole scene that lay before us was like an intimate sigh, the slightest hint of a breeze, on a summer’s day. Whoosh…seemingly out of nowhere, a duck lands on the river in front of us and immediately, the reflections on the river’s surface disappears in a myriad of wavelets. Perhaps it is time for us to move on.