Chuang Tzu is the name of a great Chinese philosopher who lived around the fourth century BCE in the Meng province, present-day Henan. Chuang Tzu is also the title of a work regarded as the foundational text of Taoism. Central to it is the belief that only by understanding the Tao (the Way of Nature) and dwelling in its unity can we achieve true happiness and freedom, in both life and death.

One of the most well-known and striking images from the Chuang Tzu is “The Butterfly Dream” — a parable that questions whether we can know anything to be real.

Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Chuang Chou. But he didn’t know if he was Chuang Chou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was a Chuang Chou. Between Chuang Chou and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.

Here’s an audiobook recorded by the Igloo Central Station which includes “The Butterfly Dream” as well as a small selection of other stories from the Chuang Tzu.

CHUANG TZU SELECTED STORIES
translated by Burton Watson

5:55 “The perfect man has no self, the holy man has no merit, the sage has no fame.”
9:44 Huizi and Zhuangzi, 1st dialogue
13:57 The piping of heaven
18:36 Questioning Distinctions
21:06 This and That
32:32 Wang Ni: “Owls and crows crave mice”
34:53 Reckless words to listen to recklessly
40:20 The Butterfly Dream
41:37 Butcher Ting
46:06 Confucius and Yan Hui, dialogue
55:16 Zigao, Duke of She and Confucius, dialogue
1:03:47 Carpenter Shi and the useless tree
1:09:23 The madman of Chu
1:10:42 Sign of virtue complete
1:18:49 Ai Taituo, The ugly man of Hue
1:23:48 If virtue is preeminent…
1:25:30 Huizi and Zhuangzi, 2nd dialogue
1:27:45 The true man of ancient times
1:33:50 Hiding the world within the world
1:37:00 The woman crookback
1:39:42 “What should I have to resent?”
1:51:56 “I am improving!”
1:53:15 Father? Mother? Heaven? Man?
1:56:35 How to rule the world
1:58:55 The shaman
2:03:58 The Death of Hundun

Complement the butterfly dream from Chuang Tzu with Jack Kerouac who famously said, “The world is nothing but a dream.”

Berthold Auerbach once wrote that music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. This is what happens when you listen to “The Hidden Valley,” a masterpiece by a Norwegian composer Peder B. Helland.

His YouTube channel, counting more than nine million followers at the time of this writing, started with a simple vision: to create a place that we can visit whenever we want to unwind and feel refreshed.

Please enjoy this beautiful piece of relaxing music for stress relief accompanied by images of mountains, forests, and rivers.

Complement “The Hidden Valley” with Henry David Thoreau on why he went to live in the woods, Richard Louv on the spiritual necessity of nature for the young, and Cindy Derby’s watercolor meditation on our inseparable link to nature.

“Nature is our mother. Because we live cut off from her, we become sick,” wrote Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh while showing us simple mindfulness activities for everyday life. I keep going back to these gentle teachings as I find myself stuck in the city, spending very little time near trees and flowers.

Another outlet that brings me closer to nature is poetry. So today, I would like to share with you one of my favorite poems titled “Leisure” by W. H. Davies (July 3, 1871–September 26, 1940) from the collection Songs of Joy.

MINDFUL ART OF LEISURE
by W. H. Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Complement this Song of Joy with Mary Oliver’s poem that teaches us to live in the now.

Mindfulness is a state of awareness that comes from being fully immersed in the present moment. Mindful eating extends this healing practice to our food and magnifies our joy, allowing us to honor what Mother Earth has offered us. So how can we learn to do it in our everyday lives? One way is to start with small snacks like apples.

This is what Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh (October 11, 1926–January 22, 2022) teaches us with gentle guidance in his “Apple Meditation,” included in the now classic Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life.

Thich Nhat Hanh writes:

Breathe in and out a few times consciously to help yourself focus and become more in touch with how you feel about the apple. … Take note: What kind of apple is it? What color is it? How does it feel in your hand? What does it smell like? Going through these thoughts, you will begin to realize that the apple is not simply a quick snack to quiet a grumbling stomach. It is something more complex, something part of a greater whole.

Then, give the apple a smile and, slowly, take a bite, and chew it. Be aware of your in-breath and out-breath a few times to help yourself concentrate solely on eating the apple: what it feels like in your mouth; what it tastes like; what it’s like to chew and swallow it. There is nothing else filling your mind as you chew — no projects, no deadlines, no worries, no “to do” list, no fears, no sorrow, no anger, no past, and no future. There is just the apple.

Chew consciously, savoring the taste of the apple and its nourishment, immersing yourself in the experience 100 percent. This way, you really appreciate the apple as it is. And as you become fully aware of eating the apple, you also become fully aware of the present moment. You become fully engaged in the here and now. Living in the moment, you can really receive what the apple offers you, and you become more alive.

When we eat mindfully, we see beyond the health benefits and pleasure an apple can provide. We see it as a manifestation of the wonderful presence of life. Thich Nhat Hanh writes:

Look deeply at the apple in your hand and you will see the farmer who tended the apple tree; the blossom that became the fruit; the fertile earth, … the sunshine, the clouds, and the rain. Without the combination of these far-reaching elements and without the help of many people, the apple would not exist.

Complement this profound way to Savor the apple with Cindy Derby’s enchanting children’s book about finding our way back to nature.