Seeds of hope: my friend, Yudhisthira

"Ravana once said, 'Rama, through experience I have learned that whenever you wish to perform a noble deed, do it immediately. Do today whatever you propose to do tomorrow. Shubhasya shiighram ashubhasya kálaharańam—Do good deeds quickly, and delay bad deeds.'"

Trees and nature have been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. A few months ago I decided I wanted to delve more into the world of these mystic beings. The oak tree, in particular, completely captured my heart after seeing it in Shawshank Redemption (1994) a few years ago.

 Over time I learned more about oaks, I collected acorns and planted them. While sharing a post on social media about what I had learn about oaks, I had the blessing of coming into contact with a man who planted an entire oak groove with his own hands. Today, we are honored to interview him, a spiritual practitioner from the lands of Czech Republic, my dear friend Yudhisthira.

Yudhisthira hugging a tree

Brother, there is only one requirement to answer the questions, don’t answer with your mind, do it with your heart.

You have planted a whole forest with your own hands. What motivated you to do so?

Yudhisthira: I guess a mix of motivations, I just LOVE trees man. I can spend chunks of time just looking at their uniqueness (Haha often I am getting dangerously distracted on the highway roads due to this love), how they are twisted and beautiful, strong and quiet, whispering secrets of the Earth. Oftentimes taking my negative states away so generously, healing me in the process.

My grandad left me a precious gift of numerous black pines that he planted on our property. For the past few years when they are dormant in winter I am climbing them and pruning them so they can look as if they came from the top of mountains or a Japanese garden. There is the best feeling of coming down and laying in bed these nights, body sensations of swinging motion nicely put you to sleep or in samadhi haha. I bet you remember it after long day of skiing.

But my conscious motivation was the realization of sick forestry methods based just on fast profit. These methods such as monoculture spruce cultivation are destroying soil water infiltration ability. Which we are relying on due to having our own water supply from the Earth.

I cannot think of a better healer of this issue than the Oak tree, with roots going so deep into geo-sublayers, making tiny channels for water to seep in and infiltrate. To refill and restore our aquifer.

This forest was not on our property, but really near so I got in touch with the forest city manager. I proposed that we can plant trees but they need to be native and we do it as a service.

With my beloved partner Dhiira we organized a planting day with our friends. City forest manager ordered 2000 oaks, gave us some tools and instructions. After 5 working hours we managed to plant 1500, the rest we planted by ourselves and with help of 2 friends in 2-3 days.

Now they are so green and looking healthy, I am so glad because spring here in Czech was really dry.

How did you feel while you were planting them?

 Yudhisthira: To be honest I felt really rajasic due to organizing, cooking lunch for 20 people and constant watering their fragile roots (he laughs). But after the event with just my beloved and friends it was really pleasant, calm and fulfilled day of working hard in the compacted rocky soil.

I felt true to myself after this action, and happy for my children and grandchildren that could enjoy the beautiful oak forest in the future.

Is there any special picture or feeling that now comes to your mind when you remember yourself planting trees that you would like to share with us? 

 Yudhisthira: I remember in the night, just few hours after the event day. When we were cleaning up the area and preparing for tomorrow planting. It started raining, it was amazing because before that there was no rain for some time.

I realized truly that if you will take 1 step towards nature, She will take 10 towards you.

How does this following quote make you feel? "He that plants trees loves others besides himself." - Thomas Fuller.

 Yudhisthira: I feel it is about intention behind the action. You can plant trees just for material profit, then you are thinking about yourself and maybe your family.

You can also plant them lovingly and selflessly for birds, all the insects that healthy tree is hosting, and maybe for some stranger traveler passing by on the open field picking the fruit of your action from the tree with joy.

Scriptures say often that after doing service of any kind the heart of the human becomes more tender and the intimacy with the Supreme grows up. As a spiritual aspirant do you feel like planting trees affected your intuitional practices somehow? 

 Yudhisthira: Yes definitely. I feel this experience supported a thread in my consciousness labeled - trusting the universe and my inner heart.

Did you ever hear about the expression “service of recurring nature”? if not, what do you think it is about? 

 Yudhisthira: I did not, (he giggles) English is not my native so I translate it in my head as re-curing as repetitively curing the nature haha. ChatGPT prove me wrong but it sparked an idea that we definitely need to re-cure our own cultural relationship with nature that is resource-oriented to an approach that thrives to live with nature, with its harmony and base rules.

Great inspiration if we are talking about planting trees is modern agroforestry system called Syntropic system. I highly suggest to check out its concepts.

Is there a question I haven't asked you that you would like me to ask?

Yudhisthira: I don't see a need for more questions, go outside, have fun and grow your experience and connection to the source of your wellbeing!

(end of the interview)

While interviewing him, this painting came to my mind. Oaks in the Old Petergof by Ivan Shishkin 

Conclusion... 

"If human beings are to survive, if the animal world is to be saved, if the grace and beauty of nature are to be preserved, the forests must be protected. The longer forests remain covered with the abundance of nature, the greater the material benefits for human beings, animals and birds." (Ecology: The Forest Must Be Saved)

Human life is short and transitory. It goes by quickly, in the same way day turns into night, youth turns into old age in the blink of an eye. It has been said that one hand should be at the feet of the Lord and the other one serving His creation. While serving, there are some kinds of services that one can perform that are of a short-lasting nature, and some services are of a long-lasting nature. Let's look at some examples so we can clearly see it. After feeding a poor man, he will be hungry again in a few hours, after taking care of the health of someone, that person will fall sick again in the near future. But, some services are of a long-lasting nature.

Scripture says: "Pratyakśa puńya, or direct virtue, is acquired when one performs an action such as feeding the hungry or serving the infirm. Indirect virtue is acquired when oneʼs service has a recurring effect, such as service to the society, planting trees, etc. If banyan trees are planted beside a hot and dusty road they will continue to give shelter to weary travellers for one thousand to two thousand years. Virtue acquired in this way is indirect virtue." (Do Virtuous Deeds Day and Night)

For a long time society was embedded in artificial and detrimental ideologies. But slowly, things are changing towards a more conscious humanity, people are realizing we are not here just to accumulate wealth or to play with our sensory organs. In the past a philosophy that called for the human welfare arose from the intellectuals of that time, that philosophy was called "humanism". Unfortunately, humanism only contemplated the suffering humanity. Today's humans have evolved and now they take care of plants and animals too, as a universal family. In the 20th century, this new way of looking at things was called "neohumanism". A way of thinking that contemplates the lives of all animate and inanimate entities on planet earth.