Sutra Walk: In a dead tree, the dragon’s murmurs have not been exhausted.
I enjoy taking longs walks. The term for walking meditation used in Buddhist communities is kinhin. Kinhin is a combination of the Chinese words 經, meaning “sutra” and 行, meaning “walk”. Taken literally, kinhin means “sutra walk.” This series is about ordinary, easily overlooked sutras that I have encountered while walking.
I decided to take a walk on some of my favorite trails at Lake Roland today. First, I walked down the boardwalk from the Light Rail station and made my way to the Red Trail. From from there, I walked up the Green Trail to the Yellow Trail. There were a few fellow hikers taking their time on the Yellow Trail, so I looped back over to the Red Trail for a bit. When I got down toward the Orange Trail, I decided to take the scenic route to the old quarry by the creek. Then, I linked back up with the Yellow Trail via the White Trail. Finally, I retraced my steps using the Red Trail to the boardwalk. The whole hike was a little bit over 4.2 miles and took me about an hour and a half.
It was an overcast day on the trail. The sky was various shades of gray. No wind today, but was pretty cold. Maybe it was a mistake to forgo the jacket and only wear a sweatshirt. I survived.
The trail preached many sutras today:
· Near the beginning of the hike, I was thinking, “When I am doing an activity, I should really just do the activity, and when I am not doing something active, I might as well do zazen.” Immediately, I tripped over a root. The Root Sutra: “Walk when you are walking. I will be here to wake you up when you get lost in your thoughts.”
· The trail is muddy today. We had a lot of rain this week. I step into the mud, my boot sinks several inches, and I slip. The boot makes a sucking sound when I pick up my foot. The Mud Sutra: “Take your time. I will hold your foot to help you when you are going too fast. I will stay with you to remind you to be careful on the rocks.”
· The trees are sleeping, but they are standing up strong and tall. All the leaves have fallen and the forest looks bare. The Tree Sutra: “Conserve your energy for the most important things. We will be here to remind you to stay upright even in tough times.”
· Even thought most of the plants in the forest are dead or hibernating, the lichens and moss are lively. They seem to like living together on tree bark. The Lichen and Moss Sutra: “Cooperate with your neighbors. We will be here to remind you that life is easier when you help each other out.”
· Finally, I notice a big, hollowed-out tree (the one in the picture above). It is dead and in the process of converting itself into fertilizer. I remember part of the verse from Case #2 of the Blue Cliff Record, “When the skull’s consciousness is exhausted, how can joy exist? In a dead tree the dragon’s murmurs have not been exhausted.” The Dead Tree Sutra: “Life? Death? Pay attention! Look: there is a hole right through the middle. Come back in the spring, and we will see who is dead and who is alive.”
“Dōgen says mountains and waters are themselves sutra — they unceasingly expound the Buddha’s teaching. Realizing this, we are awakened by the ordinary as much as by the profound.” -Shohaku Okumora Roshi
