When Della and I first moved to this tiny hamlet of South Bend in a very rural county, one of things we desired was to be closer to nature. This goal was met when we purchased a home on the westernmost street in town that features the beginning of the forest beyond our back yard. While our "property" features very few trees itself -- save for the ones we have since planted -- the abandoned turn-of-the-century abode that is catty-corner from our back fence has a yard that melts into the forest.
Since no one lives there, I spend a good deal of time sitting in the back yard/forest. It's breathtakingly beautiful as it features many towering trees of 100 foot heights and greater. Because it IS a forest, there are just as many interesting plants in the understory.
After I had made several sojourns to this forested back yard, I got it in my head to borrow a book from the local library to help me identify all the various flora I beheld. I wanted to be able to point at a particular tree or plant and say, "This is an x."
Well, I picked up the book and headed straight to my shady wonderland! I started to flip through the pages and to look at the pictures to help me begin to identify what was before me. I spent quite a bit of time trying to match up what my eyes saw around me with what my eyes saw in the book.
And then I put the book down. Something dawned on me. What difference does it make to know the name of a particular plant? It's just a label!! Knowing that this plant is called a Madrona will not enhance the experience one iota. It won't change the way I look at the tree. (Being able to name poison ivy doesn't make it itch any less!) All the words actually do is to cloud the overall experience by taking me inside my head as opposed to reveling in the wonder of life itself.
Without consciously realizing it -- often that's the best way to do it -- I was intuitively understanding the point made by both Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi. Both sages talk about unlearning knowledge. Instead of trying to learn how to identify each plant -- thereby filling up my brain/bowl -- I emptied myself of expectations so that I could experience each plant on its own terms.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Since no one lives there, I spend a good deal of time sitting in the back yard/forest. It's breathtakingly beautiful as it features many towering trees of 100 foot heights and greater. Because it IS a forest, there are just as many interesting plants in the understory.
After I had made several sojourns to this forested back yard, I got it in my head to borrow a book from the local library to help me identify all the various flora I beheld. I wanted to be able to point at a particular tree or plant and say, "This is an x."
Well, I picked up the book and headed straight to my shady wonderland! I started to flip through the pages and to look at the pictures to help me begin to identify what was before me. I spent quite a bit of time trying to match up what my eyes saw around me with what my eyes saw in the book.
And then I put the book down. Something dawned on me. What difference does it make to know the name of a particular plant? It's just a label!! Knowing that this plant is called a Madrona will not enhance the experience one iota. It won't change the way I look at the tree. (Being able to name poison ivy doesn't make it itch any less!) All the words actually do is to cloud the overall experience by taking me inside my head as opposed to reveling in the wonder of life itself.
Without consciously realizing it -- often that's the best way to do it -- I was intuitively understanding the point made by both Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi. Both sages talk about unlearning knowledge. Instead of trying to learn how to identify each plant -- thereby filling up my brain/bowl -- I emptied myself of expectations so that I could experience each plant on its own terms.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Nice lesson. My Dad knows all about plant names, trees and birds. When he points one out, I just name it "Bird", "Tree" and so on.. gives us both a laugh.
ReplyDeletegenerally, i only frantically try to identify a plant if my son just stuffed it in his mouth and i need to see whether or not it's poisonous. :) but it is useful knowing plant names if you're going to do more than look at them, for instance if you want to try and eat them or use them medicinally, etc... but generally i just remember their uses, not their names, and in some cases i make up my own names for them. like "that motherf*ing yellow weed" ;)
ReplyDeleteBoth of your comments made me smile and laugh. I know about that particular yellow weed too!
ReplyDelete