Water, Life, and Mind OCTOBER 21, 2020
by THAWDAR ZIN, ‘21
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etween two very dense Ecuadorian rainforests, the water flows tirelessly along the path it’s created. It’s on a journey. The surrounding life force is overwhelming. Where it is from was the answer I was seeking, as I tried to hike up all the way to its origin. The journey of the water coming down from the source and ending up in a bigger water body resonates so much with our life journey. We are travelers, finding answers to our life philosophy and an end, just like the water. We go as far as we can until we become one with life, and our oneness becomes eternal. The river may run through dry deserts, rocky places, caves, and through thick, dense rainforests. Its source may be a spring or a waterfall. But the water flows nonstop, one way aggressively and peacefully, and along its way, life thrives. It ends up in the oceans where the water no longer needs to travel, joining all the other rivers as one. All the travelers’ journeys end there, and we become one.
which I had overlooked, is actually what defines my life goals, my life philosophy, and purpose. I was born by a huge lake and grew up in a place surrounded by mountains and streams. As a child, I loved being outdoors and found myself very delighted and joyful in the forest, up in the mountains, along streams and lakes. These memories were stamped in my brain, waiting to be rediscovered. The connection was lost when my family had to leave my beloved environment in Myanmar and flee to Thailand due to civil wars the military ignited. Since then, I hadn’t been very aware of the significance of my connection with water until my journey on a study abroad course to the Amazon forest in Brazil and Ecuador. I learned that nature resonates so much with our minds once we start paying attention to it. It is nature that is always trying to connect with us, but we humans are not willing to connect back with nature.
My spiritual connection to nature becomes stronger when my knowledge about nature is expanded, thanks to biology classes I never thought I would take. My eagerness to see and admire life and biodiversity comes from the connection I have with water. An unexplainable joy arises when I get to lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests. My mind is at peace, with not a single thought of my problems, my worries, or desires. And happiness follows. Ten Mile Creek at Luther’s Lionberger Environmental Preserve PHOTO BY BONNIE TUNNICLIFF JOHNSON
Sometimes we tend to forget the very thing that forms a big part of our identity, and all the work we produce has at least some part of it, yet we may not notice it. My connection with water,
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Agora/Fall 2020
Thawdar Zin There is a strong connection between the mind and water. No matter how disturbed the water is, at one point it is going to be settled and become transparent. A human’s mind can be just like water: settled and become transparent at one point, peaceful. And once it is settled, one can see any reflections one wants just like we can see a beautiful reflection of a sunset on a tranquil, undisturbed surface of water. Our mind can become like water, humble, peaceful, and transparent, by simply meditating. Meditation can untangle our thoughts and set them aside. It helps us become free of our worries, desires, and temptation; it smolders our inner fire. Once our thoughts are clear and our mind transparent, we will see something, someone, or an answer we seek by just like looking through transparent water. So go forth, with the will to explore and the purpose of discovering and being discovered. Find a place in your mind where you find happiness and peace. Focus on it, and just like the water, practice your mind to be tranquil, humble, and transparent, and you will find something. An answer, a reflection, a secret or a purpose.
