Beautiful Earth.

Buddha

Sahm has a meditation altar in his cabin. It’s a little table with a small blue statue on it. He told Dhani it’s the Buddha of the Beautiful Earth. He calls it his teacher. Now that I think about it, I wonder if that’s who he thinks he’s talking to when I hear him whispering in his language.

I always thought there was just one guy they called Buddha. But Sahm told me there are lots of different Buddhas, and each one is an enlightened thought or idea. He says you hold one of these ideas or thoughts in your mind for a long time and it changes you.

This Buddha of the Beautiful Earth is supposed to make people realize that we only have one planet to live on. If we disrespect and ruin it we’re screwed. He didn’t use those words, but that’s the idea.

We found Sahm one day—Dhani, Ray-Ray and me—making a big drawing on the ground beside his cabin. A mandala. A big circle with all kinds of symbols around it. In the middle of it, he drew this Buddha in this beautiful bright blue color. I loved it so much.

He told us he drew the mandala because it was an “auspicious” day. Meaning it’s very special. I got the feeling Sahm believes this Buddha is more than an idea, though. Like it’s also a real being who’s trying hard to wake people up to take care of the earth better.

I don’t know what to believe about some kind of ethereal Buddha who lives in the air or somewhere. But I do believe we all better wake up and respect this planet and each other. Fast.