I am off to a very remote, primeval forest without any electricity or telecommunication network, to experience the spiritual living I crave the most. Back in a week. May peace and joy be with you.

On the grassland, one can sense the possibility for humans to merge with nature and for the mind to return to its original state. Here, one can find another way of living and the meaning of life. The key to human happiness lies not in transformation or complication, but in simplicity and being natural.

I went back to my hometown to give the residents there a two-day teaching on buddhadharma, ethics, environmental protection, and AIDS prevention. I saw some familiar faces that I had not seen for thirty years and some brand new ones. How time flies! How transient life is!

I came across some scientists on the grassland, gathered with environmentalists in a tent. We had a round table dialogue comparing science and traditional views…Loving Mother Nature and all that lives is a mission shared by all humankind.

The edge of the earth and the sky is visible here, where only clouds wander around, and so is the edge of the mind, where only love is in action. Nature and mind are equally beautiful and captivating.

This is the land donated by the local people, where I plan to build a training base of practical techniques for them. They are all very poor. Their children are not able to attend college, find jobs, or even marginally maintain a basic living standard. A chance to learn some vocational skills may perhaps help them to change their destiny. This is my dream and I hope it will come true.

This is where many practitioners undertook the most perfect spiritual life, embarking on the road of no return. Lying here and gazing at empty space, I went looking in a world without space or time for traces of them. If one does not know how to appreciate spiritual life, material life tends to become less and less interesting.

From 5:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. the day before yesterday, we traveled along roads in the worst condition. After the jolts all day, I was aching all over when I finally got out. Once again, my annual visit to the country side has begun.

All is quiet here other than the sound of wind, the birds’ singing, and one’s own heartbeat. Here, all worries disappear. Despite living a simple life here, one can contemplate the mystery of mind consider the joy and pain of the six realms, and enjoy inner happiness.