Hana - Flower
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"Flower" often means "cherry blossom" to the Japanese, so intimately does the cherry blossom evoke the spirit of flower and the Japanese sense of beauty. Springtime mountains turn cloud-like with the blossoming of the cherry in a glorious and breath-taking display. Each blossom is simple. A tinge of pink is all the color the white flower has. Each blossom is perfect, yet outdoing itself even when no one is around to see. Then an amazing thing happens. At its peak of glory and perfection, it drops its petals-blizzards of petals when the wind is gusty, a sprinkling of petals when the breeze is gentle, and even one or two falling when the air is perfectly still. Cherry blossoms let go of their whole-hearted glory as if to say, "Each moment is precious and momentary, so much so that we can trust in letting everything go. Doing so allows the next moment to display its own glory." Having one's breath taken away by the beauty of the cherry blossom is to be part of that trust and letting everything go at the peak of each moment.
A flower's blossoming is a moment of peak beauty that is not simply pretty, it is beautiful and courageous and sad at the same time. Just when everything is given and everything is let go, a large sense of Life emerges that is called, "mono no aware," the tug at the heart by the way things are. Even though one may share the same trust and admire the joyful courage of the little blossom, a tear falls from the eye anyway. The life of a flower is simple. It speaks truth.
by Robin Fujikawa