Spiritual gardening

“Your mind is like a piece of land planted with many different kinds of seeds: seeds of joy, peace, mindfulness, understanding and love; seeds of craving, anger, fear, hate and forgetfulness. These wholesome and unwholesome seeds are always there, sleeping in the soil of your mind. The quality of your life depends on the seeds you water…. The seeds that are watered frequently are those that will grow strong.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Nothing is as simple as we would like to think it is, but simplicity is a great way to understand deep concepts. Albert Einstein, the scientist and mystic, said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” An analogy, like the one above from Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, helps us break down difficulties in our lives in a simplified way. Being a parent to two young ones (3.5 and 1.5 years old), I am always trying to figure out how to explain big things in a simple way, usually fumbling over my words. 

Young children have such simple innocence in their hearts and minds, like a garden free of weeds. Anything is possible and all of life is a playground. An innocent heart and mind offers true power and freedom. Not the type of power a CEO or politician fights over, but a weightlessness within that is light as a feather and strong enough to take flight. There is no heavy shame, guilt or judgments yet. Those seeds have not been watered. Their energy is still so pure. Maybe this is what Jesus was intending to teach when he said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 (NIV).

As parents/grandparents and anyone in a role-model situation, we must do our best to teach children what seeds to water and which ones to leave alone. We think we know what is best, but with further investigation of our own inner gardens, may we come to realize what unwholesome seeds we have been growing. Personal reflection, especially as a caretaker, is a wonderfully responsible activity, one that reminds us to stay present.

As a parent I’ve noticed that young children don’t hold grudges. Through their innocence, they inherently understand that anger and judgment are foreign emotions and don’t belong in their inner gardens. Adult humans have the unique ability to introspect, to know that they know. They can self-observe and act from a deeper level of consciousness. Free will allows us to choose to water different seeds, such as hate, envy or martyrdom, while children seem to be following some initial divine blueprint. 

As the story of the Garden of Eden goes, Adam and Eve chose to pick an apple from the Tree of Knowledge. Whether they were tempted inwardly or outwardly, they made a choice to go against what God wanted for them. The story shows that we humans have been choosing things from the beginning, and that we are allowed to do this. 

Another story is of the Prodigal Son, an important teaching from Jesus. After squandering his inheritance and watering all the unwholesome seeds, a father’s son comes home with his tail between his knees, downtrodden and expecting the worst. What he finds is simple and radical unconditional love. That is the ultimate fertilizer, and water for the inner garden.

Tim Hahn and his wife, Molly, have been small business owners in Springfield since 2010. They have two small children with one on the way. He teaches fitness and traditional yoga. He is an avid student of spiritual psychology and personal growth.

This article appears in Fall 2023.