The Flower Sermon: Buddhism among the Blooms

“The past is gone, the future only hoped for, and for you, my beloved, is the moment in which you are.” - Unknown

I have a friend who lives in my apartment building. His name is Yung, and he is from an ancient culture and land,Vietnam. He is the life partner of my oldest friend and high school pal Matt. They have been together for over twenty years. Yung is a Buddhist and, with Matt’s help, has made our backyard into a Buddha Garden.

Yung’s flowers are everywhere: geraniums in pots hanging on the porch, and roses so red and thick they are taking over the yard, hanging lush and vibrant on the fence. The space is awash in deep purple violets, and other flowers and plants that I don’t even know the names of. Every day Yung makes a nutritious lunch for Matt, Matt’s disabled brother Pete, and me. Yung never asks for anything and only says “No problem” when we tell him how great his meals are because they are always different. He cooks Chinese, Vietnamese, American, and Italian cuisines, as well as many other types of meals — always something new and surprising.

In our garden are three Buddha statues and a little green statue of the goddess Quan Yin. After lunch, we sit together in bliss on the shaded deck and talk about life and all the things great and small about it. Matt and I do most of the talking because Yung doesn’t speak English all that well. But he is a genius at nonverbal communication. With gestures and humorous looks, he gets his point across. Yung creates this beauty to fulfill his Buddhist noble truth, to see the beauty of life in the simplicity and grace of the present moment.

This truth that simplicity is beauty is the default position of neutral consciousness that, along with meditation, stills “chatty Kathy” in our heads — that critical mind monolog we think is our self, but is only the shallow ego talking. In Buddhism, there is no need for self-shaming or super heroic myths. The Buddha achieved enlightenment, not by walking on water or raising the dead, but by sitting under his bodhi tree and seeing the bliss of the present moment. Nothing else was needed or desired.

One day the Buddha was sitting under the tree with his students when someone asked about the meaning of life. The Buddha reached for a flower nearby but did not pluck it. Instead he caressed the petals. Seeing this, most of his students just thought he had ignored the simple question. But one student smiled and understood — the meaning of life is life itself. Or, as I like to say, “The meaning of life is that life has meaning." That student became the Buddha’s successor.

Yung’s humility and life of service is his way of walking the noble path of the Buddha. My way is to sit in the Buddha Garden after a tasty meal, breathe in the present moment in all its many colors, smell Yung’s flowers on the sweet summer breeze, relax my body, still my mind voice, and open my eyes and my heart to the ever-present glory of a peaceful and loving moment, filled with good food, good times, and good friends. This is true enlightenment.

The simplicity of “enjoying the present moment” is not all there is to Buddhism, Taoism, or Hinduism. The effects of that wisdom and of mantra meditation — or “conscious breathing” and not listening to our mind chatter — are many. There are health benefits to deep relaxation and spiritual benefits that come from expanding the inner space in our heads beyond the narrow confines of limiting our awareness to “chatty Kathy”.

With meditation and contemplation comes an expanded inner space that allows for deeper states of awareness to “bubble up” from deep within, including psychic visions. Due to this eastern influence and my studies of Native American spirituality with my shaman teacher, Grant Two Feathers Red Hawk, I am able to visualize subtle realities beyond this world into the Spiritual world and higher dimensions — once my daily chatter dies down and my body relaxes enough to expand the inner space.

The “noble path” of the Buddha, the poetry of the Taoist master Lao Tzu, the timeless wisdom of the I-Ching, and the great books of Hinduism make my readings more than just a mystic display of reading the future for you. I use the great wisdom I study daily and the joy and peace it brings to give you ancient wisdom in sayings and concepts gathered since I was a twelve-year-old mystic following my heroes THE BEATLES to India.

And ever since, I have pursued a lifelong study of Taoism and Buddhism. This wisdom makes my readings unique, but it also allows me to give you the benefit quickly with potent sayings and concepts that have come down to us from these ancient cultures. Many of my callers enjoy the sayings and wisdom to help them see the “Path Forward” with wisdom, courage, and power. Please call me to experience it for yourself.

“Do you feel a connection with this info? Let’s talk. I will assess your spiritual point of view and help you rebuild faith in the YOUniverse.” - Psychic Tony x4042