Teresa Caetano Sintra, Portugal
I live near Sintra, Portugal, in a very small place called Manique de Cima, where nothing happens.
Before Covid, I was not home a lot. My workplace is in Lisboa, 24km away.
I worked long hours and spent a lot of time commuting. My mind was always racing.
Because of the pandemic, I started working from home in March. Right at the beginning, my mind was racing even more. Worry was all around, feeding on everything: the lack of knowledge about the virus, the news from the countries which were hit first, the fear for our loved ones, the helplessness, the sense of urgency and disaster….
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“Which burns faster than grass (straw)?”, the Yakṣa asks. “cintā (worry) ”, the wise Dharmarāja replies. In this lecture Ācārya said, the fire of the grass will last only as long as there is grass, but worry burns the system more, with greater speed, burns the mind, the five senses, causes huge damage…
***
And then, my garden started to heal me – the strainlessness of Nature imperturbably going through the seasons, so powerful.
The blackbird nested right in front of my “office” window…
The jasmine that I brought from Mysore two years ago sprouted a few more leaves – looks like he’s finally decided he will adapt here.
Because of Covid, I was given the opportunity to reconnect with Nature’s infinite source of strainlessness – and I was opportunistic!
My deep gratitude for the Teachings which are giving me the fitness to be more aware and more connected to my ṛṣi.
