Looking Deeply

Four beautiful winter squash lined up on a stone-gray sushi platter...if we look deeply, as Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says, we can see the whole world in them. We not only see the vegetables, but also see 'the place which is no place' in which they are formed. The place that embraces all places in this present moment. We look deeply and see not only the color and form of the squash, but also we see into its very nature.  Some say, if we look deeply enough, we see ourselves, and our own true nature as well.  But first, we look deeply at the vegetables, and see the different fields and cultivated places where the land for squash was tended. We see the earth that held the seeds, and the sunshine and the soil that nourish the growing plants. If we look deeply enough at the squash, we can see the tangle of green vines and resilient stalks flourishing. Looking deeply, we also see the vast expanse of blue sky and oceans, through and over which wind currents swirled, amassing rain in clouds that travel miles bringing much-need moisture to ripen the maturing fruit. We see the places where producers and traders, sellers and buyers, interact with nature, and one another, to bring these succulent vegetables to our table. Looking deeply, we see that everything arising in our practice, in zen-cuisine, is interconnected. Color, form, sound, breath, thoughts, feelings all arise together in the vast interplay of the present moment. Everything is simultaneously arising within Awareness itself.