Finding Freedom from Suffering in Spring's Nature

Spring always makes people a bit happier. As temperatures rise and ice and snow melt, the rivers ripple again, branches slowly turn green, and my mood improves day by day. Though looking back still brings moments of inner pain, in these bright spring days those wounds are fading day by day.

When sadness flows through my heart, I quietly feel it and let it release slowly. I listen to sad music; while listening, I feel accompanied and soothed—and when people feel accompanied and soothed, suffering lessens greatly. Each time sadness is released, it fades a little; afterward, sad moments become fewer.

People should not suppress their true emotions. When feeling arises, we should let it release fully. Sometimes those emotions make us weep with sorrow, but we should allow it rather than try to stop it. All suppression can form oppressive affect, eventually leading to all sorts of maladjustment and illness. Timely release heals our inner wounds faster. Human beings are emotional animals; honoring our true feelings is to follow nature, and suppressing them distorts humanity.

In spring, nature brings us more joy. A single green leaf, a tree of blossoms, can lift the mood considerably. These joys dilute grief and make us positive and happy. Lately I have often gone out, spending time in my vegetable plot or cycling to suburban parks to take in the scenery; these things make me much happier. Beautiful things best heal our inner wounds; in spring we encounter beauty everywhere. Spring is heaven's finest gift to all living things; it makes us burst with vitality.

The Huangdi Neijing says: "The three months of spring are called the season of outpouring. Heaven and earth give birth, and all things flourish. Sleep late and rise early; walk widely in the courtyard; let the hair hang loose and move slowly, so that the will is born. Give life and do not kill; give and do not take; reward and do not punish. This is the response to spring qi and the way of nourishing life." Spring is the season when a person's spirits are highest; we should follow nature and not stifle our enthusiasm, which makes body and mind healthier.

Go out more, engage more with the outside, draw near to nature, and take in beautiful scenery and things. Do not shut yourself indoors; do not get trapped in one affair or one relationship and forget the whole world. The vast universe, the wide world, and the countless wonders nature has created are enough to gladden the heart and dilute every care.

Learn to live a rich and colorful life: have more hobbies, more points of focus. Do not concentrate your joys and sorrows on a single point, which makes us tense and prone to collapse. Life is a very accidental process; we came to this world to experience it, and for no other purpose. In this process, experiencing as many beautiful things as possible makes a life better. Dwelling on some artificial goal or desire only makes us miss countless vistas along the way.

What is truly important is usually the cheapest. The air and water vital to each of us are nearly free; the food that fills us is not expensive, and we can obtain it through our own labor. With these, we have enough to live. Diamonds and gold neither fill the stomach nor quench thirst; for sustaining life they are not as important as free air. Yet people value diamonds and gold far above air—this is folly. Letting go of this misconception makes people much happier, but regretfully, many cannot let it go even in death.

As long as the heart has not too many desires and pursuits, we can enjoy a lighter and freer life. Life's greatest suffering comes from craving and wanting; desires swell as they are continually stimulated. The more splendid a person's life, the lighter their material desires. Because we care about more things, we no longer think that only material goods and status can bring security and joy.

Arrange your life colorfully. No matter what we face now, do not forget the many beautiful things waiting to be enjoyed. Learn to balance life's pains with joy; life is not inherently bitter—it only becomes unbearable when we fixate on its bitterness.