In our formal practice we take our seat (or stand, walk, or lie down) on the earth. This may be stating the obvious, but it is well worth being keenly aware of. We are not animals of the skies or oceans, but of the earth. We spend our living years in intimate connection with the earth, and therefore cultivate the Eightfold Path in connection with the earth. An important question is: “Are we aware of this connection at any given moment?”
It’s interesting to note that wherever we are on this earth, we are at the center of a vast physical sphere that stretches for thousands of miles in any give direction, including below. We are literally surrounded and held by the earth at any time, wherever we are. To start to tune into and be mindful of this fact can have a profound effect on how it is we perceive the present moment. It can foster feelings of belonging, being at home, feeling supported and held. These are not insignificant things to experience.
The key to this is, of course, to actually experience the presence of the earth below and around us. This begins with a somatic relationship with our bodies and their connection to the earth. Feeling the sensations on the bottoms of our feet or wherever the body is connected to the earth. We experience earth element touching earth element. For as long as the attention stays with this experience, mindfulness is being strengthened. As we tune into this experience more and more, we can start to allow the small body of the self to rest on and be held by the big body of the earth. This rest is very supportive of the formal practice and gives us a sense of buoyancy in our everyday lives as well.
We can use the experience of simply sitting on the earth as our object of mindfulness in our formal meditation practice. Just sitting. It is at once so simple and so profound. It’s what is at the heart of the Shikantaza practice in the Soto Zen tradition. Mindfulness of sitting on the earth not only supports calm and tranquility (samatha practice), but, with sustained attention, can give rise to very clear feelings of not-self, as the separation between the small body and the big body loose distinction over time.
In addition to these classical Dharma benefits, habituating ourselves to being mindful of our connection with the earth can support us in other ways. One of the places where we lose mindfulness and get into suffering is with our relationships with other individuals and groups of people. Staying connected to the earth when we are in relationship with others supports a sense of steadiness, space and an abundance of time. We rest back into the support of the earth and have the time and space to be mindful of what is occurring in the heart and mind. From this place of resting back we are more likely to be responsive to others, rather than reactive.
One of the most commonly used words I have heard from others that describe the current time we live in is uncertain. Due to the pandemic, as well as political and social turmoil in our world, things that we had taken for granted like physical contact with others and a democratic society, are now in question. Feeling the support of the earth can mitigate feelings of uncertainty as we connect with the vastness and solidity of what is below and around us. In essence, the earth is just as unstable as all other dependently arisen objects (sankharas) in this universe. Yet, in the relative reality, it is very stable and can be depended on to be there for us.
One last benefit to note is how being aware of our connection to the earth helps us to connect to the life that is on this earth. We can feel the preciousness and vulnerability of life on this planet. In doing so, we will be much less likely to harm it. One of the very important things that humans need to do to begin to mitigate and eventually reverse climate change and ecological collapse, is to feel their connection to life on this planet.
We’re going to continue to live our lives on this earth, so we might as well utilize the benefits that come from being mindful of our connection with it. Allowing this connection to nourish our formal practice, as well as our lives in general.