Does Buddhist need Flower Essence?

Last week, I visited a temple for few days where is my first Buddhism temple introducing me Buddha's wisdom. There were some interesting situation for me to look deeply how I integrate mindfulness and flower essence together. My personal spiritual practice could be explained from the dark of of 2007-2008 I had lots of suffering though everything looked normal outside of me. Buddhism practice and flower essence therapy came to my life and uplifted mindful awareness to refresh the life direction from wider perspective. However, there are some principles in Buddhism (or I should note it as "Taiwanese Buddhism") I felt the principles were such different from the therapy which I need to obey as a Buddhist. People may say Dharma is perfect understanding, so should I need other therapy to resolve suffering? The struggling in me kept going deeper silently.

Till I learned from the Zen master, Thay Nhat Hanh. His understanding and teaching gave me thew way to integrate the natural energy and Dharma.

Breathing in, I see myself as a flower.

Breathing out, I am fresh.

The rigid doctrine inside me were melt through the gentle mindful practice with the nature, the Mother Earth. I realized how wonderful I could learn Buddhism and flower essence as the gift to the living being. Though I am practicing such beautiful dharma, touching the earth with my feet as flower connecting with the soil, my cultural habits arose sometimes to bother me. The habit forced me to make a boundary: I won't provide any flower essence to Buddhist, which I think it safer way for me not having chance to break the principle in my Chinese Buddhism culture.


Nevertheless, there ware challenge coming to me soon. I met a female roommate in the retreat in Plum Village, France. On afternoon, she got some shock and lost her consciousness. It seemed no doctor nearby int he countryside and my intuition told me the Rescue remedy could help. I was trembling to break my decision- not giving flower essence to  SOMEONE especially in the Buddhism retreat. After few drops on the female roommate's neck and mouth, she recovered her consciousness few seconds later. How magical experience it was, and OH ! NO! I broke the rule ! Would I punish by monastery, or worse, by Buddha!?


During the latest two years, the deeper I practiced mindfulness with the Nature, it brought me more understanding about inter-being of Buddhism with the Earth, birds, ocean, wind, trees or flowers. I realized how narrow mind I had stock in the doctrine. So it was fine to provide flower essence to Buddhists if it is emergency for such support. It seemed I  made a wider boundary.




Another challenge appeared again. I visited the temple as I wrote in the beginning last week. My roommate was a lay person who are preparing to become Buddhism nun in the near future. I talked about my work and flower essence therapy. The lay friend became so exciting to know more about the therapy. Her interest made me think more:  "why she want to try if she is practicing the perfect Dharma in a temple? Can't she rely on Buddhism to solve her suffering?" The lay friend even introduced me to other nuns who wanted to try flower essence too for their insomnia and unknown fear (White chestnut, Angelica and Aspen are flower essences I will recommend). I felt little panic inside and wanted to refuse them at first since I set rule - not provide flower essence to nuns who suppose to solve the problem through Dharma. During the days staying in the temple, I had terrible dreams every night with hesitation, fear for my rigid thinking. It seemed the time to transform again if I would look at the people in front of me closely. They are the messenger to teach me how to become a practitioner with open heart and free mind, no matter what the position and religion the client had. It was already wonderful moment we meet when we were both happy to communicate with flower essence as mindful energy from the Mother Earth. Can flower essence therapy be mindful practice, I think of course it can, if I open my heart and mind to embrace all without fear.
 

Thank you, dear flower,

Breathing in, we give thanks to the flowers in our garden. 

we know we have much to learn from their presence. 

Returning to our breath reminds us to appreciate their radiant beauty alive in their simple being.

for making life so beautiful.

Breathing out, we are thankful for the grace flowers add to our life. 

With our breath we share our thankfulness with our roses, orange blossoms, 

and our passion vines. they add so much joy to our lives.

In your pure presence

Breathing in, we notice the stillness of the flowers. 

Lying there in the belly of their petals lives pure presence. 

We breath this presence into our very cells.

I see my true self.

Breathing out, we experience a deep resonance with the flower's simple being. 

The harmony we feel in witnessing a flower's essential nature is a clear mirror of our own true self.

-Zachiah Murray, Mindfulness in the Garden