Tranquility

Intently I watch the calm,
the still waters of a lake during sunset,
a quiet breeze gently caressing every leaf, every tree.
Gentle echoes emanate but wane,
chasing voices, rushing whispers,
the breath of tenderness across the landscape
as she peacefully slips below the blanket of dusk.
Colors fading, edges no longer seen,
but not into darkness, warmth,
embraced in the stillness of peace.
A distant bird's lonely song
is all that remains,
the quiet voice of life.
the overtone of tranquility.

There is peace all around us. There is tranquility everywhere. Nirvana is here, in the here and now, it is not somewhere waiting for us or hiding from us. What is Nirvana, and what is Buddha Nature if not true tranquility. The harmony of nature, free from judgment, free from worries, free from fear, free from our projections and our selfish manipulation, free from these notions, that is Nirvana.

A picture of a still lake can help remind us of that, it can be a "bell of mindfulness" - a term I borrow from Thich Nhat Hanh. It helps us realize the harmony and tranquility that is inherent in nature, it brings us home. In that sense artwork can embody the dharmakaya. In music you can hear the sounds of nature, the harmony of Nirvana. All of these forms of creative art can help heal us, can help transform our suffering into peace, they can all help calm the waters of our anger and our fear.

Even during a great volcano there can be tranquility. Like all things even rocks change. The molten lava is rock that has sustained us for millions of years, the lava is a part of us just like the sky is a part of us. It may seem angry, but lava soon cools and turns back into rock, once again at the service of nature. It is not consumed by anger, it doesn't seek revenge, it has no notions of good or bad. The lava is the rock, the lava is the mud, the lava sustains life and the lava transforms life. Like the sunshine it provides energy that is necessary to the harmony of nature, that is necessary to tranquility.

So long as we maintain our notions and opinions, we cannot see tranquility. The silent lake at dusk may be hiding fish feeding on aquatic insects, yet without our judgment this can be just as still as the lake itself.

The lake of life, samsara, is tranquil if we only let it be. Nirvana is here if we can only see it.