Here is a wonderful thought of Eckhart Tolle from his book "A New Earth" which proved quite interesting to read and he says about
flowers......."Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate
than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers
from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms
and the formless. We could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of
plants". I was quite angry when I had read this. I was angry at the
world, the people around me and totally pissed off with my life. It
shook me after reading the analogy of bud and flower. Anger alters you,
destroys you inch by inch, slowly and you don't realize it. You get
angry at others when are angry at yourself. The anger within is like a
bud. Seeing things in a different
perspective can provide abatement of anger and moving more towards
enlightenment. Just like the bloom of a flower. Openness! A bud is
closed but a flower is all embracing and the flow of fragrance from an
open flower will make others happy. That transformation is essential for
finding the meaning of ones life. We need to delve into the deepest troves of our own soul and at the same time embrace others. Letting go and
taking things easy is quintessential for finding peace. We set ourselves
standards so high that we often get angry on trifling matters.
Nature provides us with such clues. Most of the Eastern philosophies like Indian, Chinese and Japanese give profound importance to nature. Observing nature can give valuable
insights and lasting peace. Buddhist, Zen and Taoist teachings revolve around rivers, flowers, bamboo shoots and the undeniable natural beauty. The chirping of birds, rivers flowing over
the pebbles, a gust of wind caressing the bamboo shoots and leaves,
all educate us of the essential humility and the importance of letting
go. The bamboo shoots are flexible, they curve down and oscillates back in order to avoid breakage. The pebbles get shaped by the flow of river, sometimes even giving rise to magnificent geometrical shapes. They don't resist. They get ebbed down by the flow seeking a greater purpose. A greater meaning. The purpose of existence. Birds do their duty regardless of the rewards, it is their instinct. In fact we are the only species who think of rewards for our duty, for rest of the animals, it is just instinct. We complicate things. We bring our "ego" to everything and their lies the fault.