Campbell Meditation – La Jolla Beach of San Diego
The first beach I had ever visited when I came to San Diego was La Jolla beach. Even though I am not able to visit the place as often as I wish, I can still vividly remember how beautiful the sunset was from La Jolla beach. The beach is about 20-25 minutes away by car from San Diego downtown. If you are planning to go and visit La Jolla beach, you must not unsee the sunset. The sunset upon wide blue horizon was unforgettably beautiful. I reached the beach a few minutes prior to the sunset and took a walk along the shore. Soon enough I was watching the sky is dimming and the sun is hanging on the horizon- What a beautiful moment it was!
In fact, you still can see the beautiful sunset and how the sky turns pink, from the downtown, however I strongly recommend watching a sunset at La Jolla Beach. Another “must-see” at this beach is seals and sea lions leisurely resting on the shore. Of course the odor and the noise can be sometimes unbearable, nonetheless, it was such a memorable experience how the nature is well preserved just the way it is. Nothing is artificially built there and this is another reason why people fall in love this beach once they visit. This place truly allures visitors with its unrefined nature.
We are all born naked. Though we were born unrefined, free of possessions; while the life goes on, we seek something more and better out of greed. In that manner, we create worries, we become exhausted since the life is not unfolded as we wish it to be.
While I was at the beach – seeing the nature, unnamed birds, the cliff and the sand beach, all those minds were disappearing and I became more humble. The nature itself still keeps its beauty without trying to possess more; It makes us reflect on why we would harass ourselves for a bigger possession in this short life which would not last even 100 years. The nature does not have any mind. The nature lives just as it is and is absent of thoughts of doing so.
So many saints and clergy men preached that the life of nature’s flow, free of the self but we cannot hear them well with our ears. While living a fast-paced life, it was considered normal to compete with each other and pushing individuals off the limits. Within this manner of enforcements we were taught that if you are not good enough, you are a loser; This caused us more pain and sense of inferiority.
The Sea of La Jolla is absent of words. But the silence of nature gives us a greater lesson than thousands of words; It shows us silently that the life can be even greater when you let things go and live without minds. The wind on ocean shore is not confined by its rules. It blows freely and still manages to make us happy and relaxed by its breeze. The wave strikes free of patterns but it is still perfect the way it is.
When will people be able to live as a nature? It is most-likely impossible when holding on the “self”. Wouldn’t the day dawn soon upon us where people can live free from ego and greed and live well with the mind of nature? I earnestly feel that we all must empty our minds. La Jolla is breathtakingly beautiful. Nature is beautiful. I truly hope that the day where everybody becomes beautiful with the empty mind like nature will come soon.
How to live well
From Woo Myung’s book ‘Nature’s Flow’
To live without attachments is to live well
To live without self is to live well
To stand in Truth is to live well
To live without confrontation is to live well
To live a life of that is of nature’s flow is to live well
To live as one is to live well
To know that life is eternal is to live well
To know that life is eternal is to live well
To live without worries, pain, or agony is to live well
To live as the emptiness is to live well
– Woo Myung