The weather is beginning to warm up again on Kauai, and more birds are singing. Some new birds have come to the Aadheenam, and we hear their unique songs. Bodhinatha talks about how nice it is to stop and listen to the birds. It's good to check up on how wrapped up our awareness might be. Did we notice that beautiful sunset last night? Or how about that new, fantastically aromatic flower that just bloomed? Observe the beauties of nature. Stop thinking for a moment and enjoy.

Unedited Transcript:

It is that time of year on Kauai when it is warming up a little bit and one of the changes is, there are more birds singing.

Why are we talking about birds singing? Well, because it is nice to stop and listen to the birds. They are so inspiring, so beautiful. It is also a good check on our state of awareness. Sometimes, we are so wrapped up in our own thinking processes, our own emotions that we don't perceive the beauties of nature. We don't stop and listen to the birds.

In fact, there were some extra birds singing this morning. As if they knew I was going to talk about birds, they were chirping away during our meditation.

It is a wonderful practice to observe the beauties of nature both just to enjoy as well as to make sure we are stopping our mind from thinking and being absorbed in our concerns and our emotions and so forth.

There were some beautiful clouds last night. I was out walking and enjoyed the clouds. Palaniswami tells me we have had some beautiful sunsets recently. I missed one.

We are so fortunate to be surrounded by so much beauty. It is wonderful to stop and enjoy it as part of our life.