Nature

People can live in harmony with nature only after understanding that they are part of nature. Humans are nature. If humans don’t understand this, they will continue to damage nature.

I looked up the word nature in the Turkish Language Association dictionary. It says, “all living and nonliving things develop and change within their own limits.” Indeed, I have liked this definition because the human is involved within this definition. However, when I looked up nature in another dictionary, I came across the definition as, “the power that creates and changes itself continuously; except human activity.” The part that says: “except human activity” – is the most dangerous. Usage of the word in this sense creates an atmosphere as if the human is not a part of nature.

The human is nature. The reason why a human feels relaxed in nature is the fact that s/he realizes s/he is a part of nature. Living things that exist in nature behave as they are, and show their brutality in the most innocent way. This opens a door for humans to realize that all of their dark and bright sides, and brutality, are natural. When one sees the nakedness of the fight within nature, while dealing with regular thinking patterns such as: “I did this because…”; “It should have been like this…”; “I am not like that…”, which results from identification, then relaxation comes naturally. Nature reflects its own nature to the humans, and as a result, humans can understand the battles they have been fighting, and that all things done are natural.

Having a connection with the body helps in getting closer with one’s own nature. This closeness is achieved not with logic, but with feeling the body through movements. This is what Hatha Yoga does. Through asanas, a connection with the body is achieved simply. The body can be felt with sensitivity. The person that has a connection with the body also connects with the mind because in Yoga, the mind does not refer to the brain like it does in the Western world. The mind and the body are one whole organism. People who start to deepen within their mind-body organism, due to having a close connection with themselves, begin to realize that the nature of life is all about conditioning. In order to do this, one has to witness without intervening. Only after this, the nature of life that results from being conditioned, becomes clear and visible. This is just like the difference between staying in a forest for two days and a month. In two days, only prominent things can be realized; but after a while, the minor details also can start to be seen. Looking for a while makes people see clearly and this leads to understanding that everything is conditioned, which opens a door for compassion. This feeling of compassion appears not as a feeling resulting from the moral rules, but as the side effect of the comprehension that is developed for the nature of life.

When people know their own nature, they can reach their maximum potentials. The most important difference between humans and other creatures is the unlimited potential they have for possibility. Humans have the potential for destroying the world, and at the same time, saving it. They can be the most terrible, or the most compassionate living thing in the world. As the level of awareness increases, the possibility of using this potential for good increases as well.

There is no escape from one’s own nature. If a human tries to escape, the uneasiness comes along wherever s/he goes – even in “nature.” The person who tries to escape, feels uncomfortable deep inside. As s/he struggles, nature reflects its presence more powerfully, and consequently, the person even starts to hate nature, damage flowers, and the animals. However, such people indeed only hate themselves due to perception deficiency.

The human is nature. By understanding this, the human eliminates the illusion of feeling separate from nature. Therefore, this perception makes humans harmless to nature. This happens not with the coercion of moral rules, but with the light stemming from understanding their own nature.

People who are close to themselves do not need to go anywhere. As they are nature; wherever they are, there will be always nature around them. They go everywhere with their true selves and their own nature. They experience life with all their natural brutality and innocence.