Question

Can you share your experience with observing nature as a means for understanding the Dhamma and the Four Noble Truths? You talked about watching a leaf fall bringing to mind impermanence. Are there some other reflections you could share?

Answer

Well, we just talked about nature in an earlier question today, when we talked about the dependent arising nature of our food. Looking into the dependent arising nature of everything is very helpful. I'm going to give one meditation at the end of this period to do that. Another thing is that any time you see any external decay of anything - decaying wood, decaying buildings, or something decaying on the path. etc. -- it can be helpful to bring up impermanence and reflect on what it used to be, what it is now, and what it will eventually become. That is seeing the impermanence of things.

Our apologies if there are any errors in the above text. If anything seems to be wrong or confusing in any way, please feel free to contact the teachers for further clarification.