“The Great Way has no gate,
A thousand roads enter it.
When one passes through this gateless gate,
He freely walks between heaven and earth.”
From The Gateless Gate* by Mumon (1228 AD)
In Brown County State Park, about quarter mile past Weed Patch Hill, there is a simple wood gate along the road that marks the start of a path that heads south into the woods. I have passed it many times, never stopping, somehow feeling the gate was there to prevent my entry. As the path behind it disappeared into the woods, I would often wonder where it led and what natural and spiritual revelations might be revealed along the way. Just a few days ago, I finally overcame my misguided apprehension, swung open the gate, and walked through.
As I walked into the woods, a hazy fog lay close to the ground, obscuring more distant views and a light mist fell that wet my hair and jacket. Small droplets of water, heaven’s dew, clung to the trees and I tasted of a few drops rolling down the branch of a beech tree. I became oblivious to how wet I was and instead watched intently as each of my footsteps sank into the wet leaves that carpeted the ground. I soon became lost in time, no longer thinking about my watch, where I came from, or where I had to be. As I became totally absorbed in the moment, life’s challenges suddenly seemed inconsequential as nature enfolded me in her arms and my spirit soared through the woods.
Soon, it felt like I was in a rainforest rather than the temperate climate of Indiana. The moisture hung heavy in the air, the brown bark of the trees was painted green, brown, and white by lichens. Rotting logs lay on the woodland floor, going back to from where they came. A variety of mosses dotted the woods, each with its own color and texture, and fallen leaves, brown with decay, carpeted the ground.
Continuing along a ridgeline, I soon began to hear the sound of flowing water as two woodland streams began their journey to the valley floor. The water, flowing over the exposed sandstone bedrock, created small waterfalls that added to nature’s melody, a beautiful sound that never fails to enchant me. As I reached the valley floor, I was so enthralled by the moment that I walked back up each stream a ways to explore their finer details.
Then, following the main stream, I soon realized I was in familiar territory having walked it many times and in all seasons. It is in spring though that I find it most enjoyable as the flowing water brings the woods to life. Finally, catching a glimpse of the back side of Strahl Lake, I was soon walking the familiar path around its shoreline. The unknown had become the known.
Ending my descent into the valley at the abandoned shelter house at the lake; I broke bread with myself, a brunch of cheese, bread, and salami. Topping it off with a nice crisp apple, I settled back for a moment and reflected on my morning. I thought of how blessed I have been in my life to have nature as a source of renewal, of rebirth, a guide when I need new focus. My descent through these wooded hills and into the valley required me to swing open a gate and enter a place I had never explored. I experienced that magical moment when my body, mind, and soul were bound together by nature’s golden thread. In the end, I really didn’t need to physically push open the gate at the top of the hill for it really was a gateless gate, a barrier of my own making. I must free myself from building gates and let life take me where it wants.
*The Gateless Gate, more accurately translated as The Gateless Barrier, is a collection of 48 Chan koans compiled in the early 13th century by the Chinese Zen master Wumen Huikai (Mumon); 1183–1260).
