I read the novel Siddharta by Herman Hesse. Siddharta Gautama is a young man who left his family for a contemplative life, then, restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and greed, Siddharta moves on again.He decided to run away from the crowded and noisy city and heads to the wilderness. Siddharta will later become Buddha or the Enlightened One. One day, Siddharta was admiring the magnificent beauty of the river in the wilderness,"He saw bright pearls rise from depths, bubbles swimming on the mirror, sky blue reflected in them. The river looked at him with a thousand eyes-.....In his heart he heard the newly awakened voice speak and said to him:"Love this river, stay by it, learn from it."" This phrase started the journey of Siddharta to become the Enlightened one. Siddharta achieved his enlightenment not while he was living in the city but in the wilderness where he found peace and heard the sound from the river that changed his life forever. This shows how the interaction between man and nature, awakens the spiritual senses of man. We can not physically see the eyes of the river or hear the voices of the trees, and yet in our hearts we know that they all exist. We must look and listen not with our eyes and ears but by with our hearts, we will be able to interact intimately with nature. Hopefully in doing so, we will be enlightened with the true meaning of life, just like the experience of Buddha.
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