The Tidy Garden

Let nature take its own course.  She understands her business better than we do.

A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous temple.  He had been given the job because he loved the flowers, shrubs and trees.  Next to the temple there was another smaller temple where there lived a very old religious teacher.

One day, when the priest was expecting some special guests, he took extra care in tending to the garden.  He pulled the weeds, trimmed the shrubs, combed the moss and spent a long time meticulously raking up and carefully arranging all the dry autumn leaves.

As he worked, the old master watched him with interest from across the wall that separated the temples.

When he had finished, the priest stood back to admire his work.  "Isn't it beautiful?" he called out to the old master.

"Yes," replied the old man, "But there is something missing.  Help me over the wall and I'll put it right for you."

After hesitating, the priest lifted the old fellow over and set him down.  Slowly, the master walked to the tree near the centre of the garden, grabbed it by the trunk and shook it.  Leaves showered down all over the garden.

"There," said the old man, "You can put me back now."

A Zen story

Moral: Nature is more perfect than anything man can create.  To make it more beautiful in our own eyes is to disrupt its natural beauty and to make nature ugly.