You can see all the leaves coming down around the dojo tonight. Each one is on time. They don’t rush. They don’t hesitate. When the time is right, they change color and let go. They had a great life as a leaf. They spent the whole year turning sunlight into life. Blown by the wind, soaked by the rain, glittering when the sun came out. Home for birds. But when their time is done, they’re done. As a leaf. But each one was made of 100% recycled material. And every one is turning to dust, earth and new plants for next year. Without hesitating or hurrying. Without trying they are on their way to a new life.
The branches will be quiet this winter. In the spring new leaves will grow, ready to turn sunlight into life. We may feel nostalgic as we see the red and gold drifting down to earth. We can be happy to see the new leaves in the spring. This is the way it has always been. Nothing lost. Nothing gained. It all continues.
In the olden days when people lived intimately with the natural world the fall was the time of the hardest work. Fields had to be harvested quickly, or the food would rot. People worked morning to night. Everyone pitched in. Hunters had to finish the hunt, load up and get home before the snow.
Then as the fall deepened, the world slowed down. If the harvest and the hunt were good, they had peace of mind too. With the trees bare, they could see a long away. They could see what had been hidden by the leaves in summer. They could see out to the horizon. Understand more clearly where they stood, how the world worked, and the meaning of each place and thing.
In the spring the buds appeared. Work began. People were ready to go. Old people died and babies were born. Young hunters and new couples were venturing into worlds unknown.
No hurry. No delay. Right on time. Things start when the time is right and conditions are in place. Conditions change. What comes to life disappears. But continues, taking different form. Conserved, like matter and energy, life goes on.
You can see the pattern. Take a long look from high above. Understand what you see. Do the right thing. Trees and leaves, roots and branches, mountains and rivers, friends and families all show this.
May your dreams be good, and all come true.
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Post copyright © 2025 Jeffrey Brooks, MountainKarateNC.com, Yamabayashi Ryu, Mountain Karate Dojo, in the mountains of western NC.
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read True Karate Dō by Jeffrey Brooks
“One of the best books I’ve read in years, inviting and compelling. Jeff Brooks moves effortlessly from martial arts to Buddhism to consciousness studies, self-transformation, and related fields in this wide-ranging and Illuminating study that has much to offer both novice explorers and veteran practitioners. A splendid achievement.”— Philip Zaleski, Editor, The Best Spiritual Writing series
Fabulous knowing, perspective, observations that highlight the need to be in and embrace the moment, any moment. Thank you!