‘Grass, trees and lands which are embraced by this teaching together radiate a great light and endlessly expound the inconceivable, profound dharma’ – Bendowa

I have long appreciated this line, and while I first regarded it through the lens of environmental awareness, these days I tend to think of it as expressing the complete interconnectedness of everything through the dharma of the insentient. In recent years I have nurtured my practice off the cushion, especially in the mountains at Tassajara, but just as much by walking around San Francisco. As I went to meet someone this morning, seeing so many people walking along looking at their phones, I felt sad that they were missing the opportunity to experience this for themselves.