Forest Life, Forest Death

"I stayed in forests so awe-inspiring, that they would make an ordinary man's hair stand on end..."

-- Buddha, MN 12

After walking in the village for alms and eating a meal, I hike across a canyon to the little hut at Python Cave (Thai: ถ้ำงูเหลือม). Many days, a swarm of butterflies rises to greet me. (If you wish, turn up your volume to hear the music of the jungle):

Perhaps they know that I'm about to take a bucket shower on the deck. This is a boon for everyone present -- I cool down, and the thirsty insects get to rehydrate.

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I spend a significant part of my days walking on trails and dirt roads through dense, humid forests:

red clay forest path,

Isaan or Appalachia,

my heart feels at home.

You might think that life deep in the woods is beautiful. It does soothe eyes and ears.

The forest also brings you face to face with death. Everyone in the jungle is hungry. Predators devour other beings day and night, and they're not very kind about how they procure their food.

Some nights, the shriek of an animal dying in the forest jolts me awake. A barking deer strains to scream as the python contracts. A rodent utters pitiful cries from the jaws of a leopard cat.

In the early morning, ants swarm harmless earthworms, delivering a hundred fiery injections of formic acid. When I see this attack in progress, I pick up the worm, shake or rinse off the ants, and move her to a safe place in the forest. Even while doing so, I'm aware that dozens of similar scenes unfold all around me, out of sight.

There's not much to do about the worms I cannot see.

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One day, on my way to Python Cave, I saw a giant chunk of reptile laying across the trail. I stopped about two meters short, feeling cautious and curious. The black scales shimmered with small rainbows in the afternoon sun.

"Cool colors," I thought. Before that perception had solidified, the snake jumped up, revealing the back of its huge black hood:

Photo by Max Tibby. (I did not have time to take one…)

King Cobra! He raced up the hill through a bed of dry leaves. I felt a rush of adrenaline and a rush of relief at the same time, watching him ascend the hill much faster than I could sprint.

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Precaution around snakes is prudent; fear of snakes is irrational.

Most reptiles just want to be left alone. As long as you're mindful not to step on or near a snake, it won't attack. Even the great King Cobra does its best to avoid humans.

(I like to imagine Mr. Cobra rushing back to his family to tell them about the massive homo sapiens that interrupted his afternoon nap.)

Sometimes, a cobra bite is a warning -- it doesn't always contain the lethal dose of venom. If I should receive the full injection someday, my chances would still be good. Walking slowly and calmly to someone who can drive, I might get to the ER before the neurotoxins take my breath away.

If I die in the forest, then I will step into the next adventure with a happy heart. This has been a life well-lived. I helped a lot of people over the years. I learned from my mistakes and resolved not to repeat them.

Dear family, before you freak out, please contemplate the dangers of any North American city. Death by snakebite is extremely rare. Death by automobile accident or gunshot wound is unfortunately common.

When I tell rural Thais that I'm from the United States, they sometimes ask, "how do you survive all the people carrying guns over there? Aren't a lot of them on drugs?"

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The Buddha advised monastics to contemplate death often. He also advised us to "frequent remote lodgings in the wilderness."

Walking in a wild forest, distraction is not an option. Death is right here with every step. If I put my foot in the wrong place, I might receive a deadly or painful bite. Or I might crush a snail or insect underfoot.

Death is always present, for all of us all of the time. In the jungle, death and dying are more obvious, which is cause for sober reflection. So come visit! 😊

May you be safe. May all beings be free from suffering. May you forever be well!

With Mettā,

G/Virocano

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I'll be offline during the upcoming rains retreat, late July - late October.