“Lovely flowers smell sweet, the Buddha says, but they fade, and their fragrance cannot last. The fragrance of goodness abides.” – Eknath Easwaran
Our reading this week, pages 86–97 in The Constant Companion,* begins with several names celebrating the beauty of the Lord, “which love of him awakens in our heart.” Water Lily, Jasmine, and other forest flowers are reminders of the Lord’s beauty, a fragrance we can carry with us and spread as kindness and patience.
The commonness of these flowers adds to the effect, Easwaran notes. They are helping us to remember the Lord always – like the rest of the names in this book. “That is the purpose of the Thousand Names. If we remember who is the source of all beauty, all plants will remind us of the Lord.”
Identify something in your life that you find confusing at this time, and where you wish you could ask Easwaran for his tips. See what he has to say in our readings. How can you apply his words to your situation?
As we read The Constant Companion, we are working to strengthen our practice of Spiritual Reading. This week consider how these stories are speaking to you about your relationship with nature.
For our spiritual treat this week, we hope you enjoy this five-minute video in which Easwaran describes a connection between cultivating patience and deepening our devotion.
* For those using electronic versions of The Constant Companion with different page numbering: this week’s reading is Easwaran’s commentary on the names Water Lily through He Who Never Sleeps. (Please note that the latest edition of our ebook is titled Names of the Lord.)