THE FARMER
Ozmo Piedmont, PH.D.
In the Tripitaka, the Pali Cannon, we find the Buddha using an effective metaphor to demonstrate our spiritual practice in daily life. He says he is a farmer, plowing and sowing seeds in the field. When another farmer questions him as to why he considers himself a farmer if he has neither plough nor seeds, the Buddha answers:
My seed is faith, my rain control,
My plough and yoke are understanding,
My yoke is conscience, mind is my tie,
And mindfulness my shoe and goad.
Guarded in body as in speech
And modest in the use of food,
Truth is the reaping that I do,
Forbearance my unharnessing;
My harnessed ox is energy,
Which draws on to surcease of bondage,
Going to where no sorrow is
And never turning back again.
Such is the ploughing that I do;
It has the Deathless for its fruit.
Who does this ploughing will be freed
From every kind of suffering.[1]
Our practice begins with the seed of faith, something that calls us from within, inviting us to search for a way of living based on peace and compassion, and we trust that call as being true and important. When we begin to refrain from reacting in selfish ways, then we water ourselves with our aspirations, purifying our karma, and finding liberation from suffering. Our tools are the yoke that is our spiritual practice, reconnecting us to the Divine, and the plough of correct understanding, cutting open the hard earth of our ignorance, preparing us to receive the seeds of Dharma. That which keeps us on the road of practice is our conscience, that tiny voice with us, guiding and attuning us to the work at hand, and our mind, working in tandem with our Buddha Nature to find the best path. With the mind and the conscience working together, we are able to develop the most indispensible tool of mindfulness, giving us the capacity to stay focused in the present, observing all that is arising without prejudice. We use it as a goad, gently inspiring us to continue on our path. If we are careful with our body, are moderate in our eating, then our work is made easier and more efficient, since we have a body that is healthy, with good energy, strong and resilient. Our harvest is the discovery of the Truth, both within and without, in which we realize our most intimate connection to the Infinite. By practicing patience in all that we do gives us the opportunity to purify the three poisons of the mind: desire, frustration, and delusion. It requires the energy of dedication to free us from the negative influences of these poisons in our minds and in our lives. In this way we attain Enlightenment, changing our karma and living healthier lives. We commit ourselves to follow this spiritual path, in order to experience in our flesh and bones, a profound peace that leads to salvation, transcendence of death, and the liberation from suffering forever.
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