Buddhism is the study of nature and the principle underlying it, the principle of Dependent Origination (engi 縁起). The basis of natural law, as of every individual’s existence, is the principle of change and impermanence. There is no separation between the mind and the body and the environment in which we live. The individual physical being and the environment are one inseparable continuum.

If we desire to live simply, free of excess and desire, nurturing a closeness with nature and universal law, we should understand that taking care of this world and taking care of ourselves are inseparable. The evolution of all living things is based upon the laws of nature.

We should strive to connect with nature, to become one with it. Through nature we experience our own nature, our true being. When we are truly attuned to nature, we will know it and understand it from within. Harmony and balance with our environment brings greater insight into the way of things.

Trying to control nature sets us apart from it. We will find ourselves further removed from it the more we attempt to control it. We become alienated from it rather than one with it. We construct barriers and erect obstructions that hinder our understanding of the way things are rather than seeing them as they are - without preconceptions, without our impositions.

We should make an effort to get in touch with nature. As we reunite with nature we draw strength from it, rediscovering our harmony with the universe.

With enlightenment comes an awareness and acceptance of the intimate interrelationship at the heart of all things. We should attune ourselves with nature and become aware of all that is around us. Then we become a part of the totality of the universe. We realise soon that we are a part of that universe and that we are nature itself.

All form is transitory, existing as it does in one moment and dying at another, becoming part of the cycle of existence - an existence of which we are but a part.