Master Woo Myung Question and Answer – What does the following poem mean?
The green mountain tells me to live silently,
and the blue sky asks me to live simply;
to let go of greed, and anger,
and to live, and leave the world,
as the water and wind do.
This poem was written by a Chinese monk, and it means that nature is man, and man is nature. Although it may seem in the poem that he knew that nature is him, he did not achieve full or absolute enlightenment. His enlightenment was only up to a certain level. He still had some self remaining because he was not able to see that he is one with the green mountain, the blue sky, the wind, and the water.
In other words, he tried to emulate nature which he thought was separate from himself, and he did not truly know that nature is him. Therefore it can be seen that he did not achieve full enlightenment. When one achieves absolute enlightenment he will know that all things, just as they are, are himself.
-Woo Myung-
