In this Weekly Wisdom, Gurudev shares beautiful insights on planting trees, appreciating nature, and working towards reversing the climate crisis.
In response to a question about trees and plants having feelings, Gurudev shared the following:
Plants and trees do have emotions. They have life and can feel you. When you’re silent and happy, they absorb those vibes of happiness and peace.
Plants and trees don’t create thoughts in your head. From people’s faces, you get thoughts. Plants and trees bring you a soothing feeling. But everyone is so caught up in his or her mind, they have no time to see nature!
Appreciating nature
Enjoy trees and surroundings. That makes nature happy. When it isn’t appreciated, nature feels, “I have such beautiful flowers and no one even sees.” Nature feels the pinch.
Plants and trees move with you. If you’re happy, they’re happy. If you’re unhappy, they’re also unhappy.
Buddha got enlightened under a bodhi tree. So that wasn’t only with Buddha. Even the tree got something out of it. That’s why, after 2,500 years, the tree is honored and revered, and in every country with a Buddhist population, people long for a sapling from that tree. They want to have a little bit of that bodhi tree planted in their shrine.
Similarly, Jesus walked in Jerusalem. People go there and sit in the place where he was anointed. It’s a pilgrimage place that people see.
Planting trees
So trees have emotions, feelings. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t cut trees. If you need to trim the trees, you can.
But if you cut down a tree or uproot it, you have to promise to plant another five of the same variety. This was an ancient traditional ritual in India.
Whenever you’d cut a tree, you’d ask permission from the tree, “I have to cut you, but I’ll plant five of your same kind.”
But some people thought that trees didn’t have emotions so it was foolish to ask for permission, and promise the tree to plant five more.
They thought it was superstition. The Oxford and government educated youngsters, they simply dismissed this whole tradition.
Reversing the climate crisis
But today, we know from the global warming phenomenon that planting trees is vital. We all must take care of this situation now. We all have to plant more trees. Over 300 species are in danger today. Fast industrialization is exploiting nature.
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