Dandelion: Part 1

This time of year, some people people think the dandelion is a flower, others say it is a weed. Various gardeners laugh and say it is  a weed. Some doctors of alternative medicine say it is an herb. And vineyards in California use the flowers for wine.

   Another view of the dandelion is told by a Buddhist monk  in this story below, which is taken from  the book The Gift of Well-Being

 As we were approaching the bridge which connects 

England and Scotland, I was struck by something on the pavement: a 

dandelion coming up through it. 

Smeaton's Seven Arched Bridge Connecting  England and Scotland

Normally, I wouldn't have noticed it, 

but because of the heightened state of awareness I was in at that 

moment, the dandelion seemed to jump up at me. I thought, "How did 

that dandelion get through the tarmac? Dandelions are so small." It 

struck me that, if it could think when it was underneath the asphalt 

that dandelion would have thought, "My goodness, this is not 

possible, it's too black and dense to even try!", because that was the 

apparent nature of things. 

 Fortunately, however, a dandelion doesn't think like this. It's in the 

nature of the dandelion to penetrate through the tarmac and to 

blossom. That's the way of the dandelion. It also happens to be the 

way of the human heart. Even when the apparent nature of things is 

so black and thick that it appears impenetrable, if we're present for 

life with concentrated attention, and not continually caught in our 

thinking, the heart will find its way through. 

    So now, when I think about the various possibilities of a dandelion, I also see it as a symbol of strength, wisdom and perseverance of the human heart.