Volume 76. June 16, 2026
Ah, summer! Bird lovers in North America are in their glory.
The swallows have returned to Capistrano. The buzzards have returned to Hinckley Ridge. Robins chuckle on evening lawns. Unseen birds tootle in morning trees. Birdsong fills the air.
The chipper chirping cheers us up and causes poets to rhapsodize. American poet Emily Dickinson once gushed effusively, “I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.”
With deference to Miss Dickinson, there was perhaps no greater bird nerd than the king of Ch’u. His story goes like this.
Once upon a time in old China, the king of Ch’u was an ardent bird lover. He filled his palace with fine-feathered friends.
One day a clever merchant, seeking to gain favor with the king, went to Mount Tan, where it was rumored the fabled phoenix was said to nest. The merchant searched high and low for the mythical bird, alas, to no avail.
Returning home, he met a man carrying a strange-looking bird. It was a common pheasant. The clever merchant bought it, went straight to the palace and presented it to the king.
The merchant said, “Your royal majesty, I have just been to Mount Tan. I have found the fabled phoenix! Please accept this rare and auspicious bird as a token of my high esteem.”
Looking it over, the king thought it was rather a poor-looking fowl, somewhat doughty, nowhere near the beautiful bird of legend.
But poultry passion took over. The king accepted the faux-phoenix as the real thing with great pleasure.
The End
What’s the matter with us?
Here we are — everyday — confusing a pheasant for a phoenix, confusing our ego with Buddha-nature.
Why must we fixate on thoughts and focus on fantasies?
Why can’t we relax, go with the flow and let things be?
Buddha-nature is sublime, serene, untroubled. It’s our True Self.
Followers the Way do not mistake their rational thoughts for truth.
Yet, fools take them for their Original Self.
If we could only cast aside likes and dislikes, we’d be bodhisattvas right where we sit.
Nirvana is there for the taking.
How so?
Slow down for a second. Listen. Do you hear the birds chirping?
Observing nature is a form of meditation. It requires awareness, focus and being present to the moment. When we sit and let our thoughts settle, our True Self (Buddha-nature) is revealed.
Have a great summer … in nirvana!
The Buddha Times 