sea turtle

I have just been snorkelling, off North Pandan Island here in the Philippines. And in the water this morning, I was swimming with a sea turtle. It was leisurely munching on some sea grass, and occasionally coming to the surface for a gulp of air. It seemed very unhurried in everything it did. And perhaps that's one of the reasons why sea turtles have always been very special to me. For me, they carry something of the buddha nature, in the way they go about their lives: the leisurely pace, and the simplicity of their lives. All of this reminds me of the way a buddha is in the world.

And looking at a sea turtle, I always have a feeling of timelessness, as if they are ancient creatures, ancient in their individual life, but ancient as a species as well, as if nothing has really changed for them, in millions of years. And again, this somehow touches on the buddha nature for me: that timeless quality.

And so I'm very grateful for the beautiful sea turtle I shared some time with this morning. Without me doing anything, she has reminded me of my buddha nature, and of the timelessness that is at the core of my being too.