white

blush

real snow

sometimes my prayers are heard... so we got real snow, clear sky, no smog anymore!

skeletons

cold

sabhna marna dya vichhoda sabhna

"death will come to everyone,

to everyone separation,

who will heareafter be reunited?

go ask the wise ones."

Guru Nanak

b&w

Happy like a kid i am when it starts snowing.

So this morning, after i brought little princess to school, i went for a walk and of course took my camera with me. i wandered in the countryside like a child in a dream.

Somehow i forgot how to go to b&w on this new camera, but nevertheless all pictures taken were only all shades of grey.

My happiness disappeared completely when we heard this "snow" was only frozen smog! Dangerous smog.

Because of the smog problems drivers were allowed only to drive 90 km an hour. Hihi, so i have to speed up!

So i am hoping for some real snow, fresh snow, healthy snow...

bouquet

The full area where i live - Haspengouw- seems like if thousands of bridal bouquets are left.

It is so beautiful!

And it is so unnatural at the same time, nature in neat rows...

blossom

ha-o jeeraa ha-o jeera satgur daykh sarsay raam

i live, i live and blossom forth, beholding the True Guru

Guru Ram Das

SGGS p 572

You

tooN payd saakh tayree foolee

You are the tree, your branches have blossomed forth

Guru Arjan Dev Ji

SGGS p 102

in the cherry blossom's shade

by Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)

translation by Robert Hass

In the cherry blossom's shade

there's no such thing

as a stranger

After seeing the beautiful pictures of blossoms on Prabhu's blog, i couldn't resist the crab-apple blossoms in the garden of our old house. The cherry blossoms are not open yet, but i couldn't wait to post this haiku of Issa.

It is so pure.

Blossoms are a metaphore for enlightement, for the Buddha mind. After going through winter the seemingly dead branches start to blossom. There is no feeling of separation anymore, because the seemingly dead branches (metaphore for our little ego's) got wiser and older going through the seasons, so they reach enlightement and nothing seems foreign anymore. Because enlightement brings this tremendous feeling of oneness.

Which reminds me of page 1299 of Shri Guru Grant Sahib

Naa ko bairee nahee bigaana sagal sang ham ka-o ban aa-ee

no one is my enemy and no one is a stranger. i get along with everyone.

chet

what a difference a day makes...

we don't have a garden anymore... but still i have to grow things! And they grow fast! Look in 1 day, it's amazing, isn't it!

amrit vela

everything is quiet...

Waheguru, thank you for this new day!

all alone

a tiny little flower in a big bare flowerpot...

spring?