Beaver Buddhist

However we occupy our lives there is always a way to achieve more than a given task requires; as a beaver builds its lodge, it is also building the origins of a home life. The beaver lives in the now, always mindful of the task at hand and rarely distracted from its singular purpose. The beaver is immersed in Buddhist tradition.

One can learn a lot from the beaver in terms of mindfulness, trying to think like the beaver can help us improve our work life. One of the beaver’s greatest lessons lies within that of damage control. When the beaver’s dam breaks and is washed away by floodwaters, the beaver simply repairs the dam, that’s it. The beaver does not gather co-workers together and discuss options, have brainstorming or board-storming sessions; this lies within the realm of human analytical thinking. The beaver just does.

There was a time long ago when humans were the same as the beaver, when something broke the human would follow the principal of automatic correction and just fix it. This technique has been lost or brushed aside in our high-tech world of advanced intellectualism; a world where things are ‘patched’ or disguised rather than being fixed. We can plaster over the cracks in our walls, but the cracks will still grow larger underneath the fresh façade. We have developed a throwaway society where maintenance is not top on our list of things to do. In sharp contrast, the beaver evaluates the condition of his home every day and repairs needing areas as it goes along. Because the beaver’s mindfulness helps it accept the current moment with ease, the beaver is not fretting about the future as it works. The beaver transforms regret into repair.

When its dam is damaged by rushing waters it does not waste time idling about in self-pity, this would transform functionality into disastrous flood. The beaver knows that in its life, as in our work, there will always be another flood; but, being like the beaver, we can transform the floods into flows. Mindfulness helps us become efficient, using the least energy for the most results. In Taoism this efficient use of time is known as ‘wu-wei’. For the beaver wu wei is a necessity of life, it depends on it for its own survival. The strength and proportions of the beaver’s dam demands efficiency. The beaver picks the right spot for its dam, where the water runs loudest, and chooses a tree that has enough wood for the job, not too big, not too small. The beaver’s dam can be in excess of 160 feet in length; it has only itself and its partner to rely on, to gather the correct amount of sticks, stones and mud to help assemble the dam from the neatly felled tree. Living in the moment helps the beavers know what needs to be done to master this task.

The beaver does not build its dam to impress anyone, it creates with whole-hearted desire; as the beaver works, its present-awareness helps it to fully experience every sight, smell and sound. This is a rare occurrence in humans; while our fingertips caress our keyboards or brush our desks, our spirit seeks a vacation. Working mindfully changes this. It helps us see the unexplored path of the present moment, and discover that on some level, every effort has its rewards. International experts on the life of beavers, James and Sharon Brown say, ‘beaver reliably and economically maintain wetlands that can sponge up floodwaters, prevent erosion, raise the water table and act as the ‘earth kidneys’ to purify water.’ The beaver achieves all of this by simply being a beaver and carrying out its natural duties. Being mindful can help us realize our own natural impulses, and learn how to skilfully use our energies for a higher purpose.

In Buddhism this kind of mindfulness is known as, ‘right livelihood’; which allows you to earn a living in a way that achieves the highest possible end for both self and environment. Businesses excluded from this type of career include: business in weapons, business in living beings, business in meat, business in intoxicants and business in poison. Such businesses are not conductive to a loving relationship with others. In Buddhism the highest possible end is not measured in money, but by the outpouring of love. The beaver’s maintenance of wetlands shows us how we can give to the earth as we receive. Not all of us are in a position to preserve the land, but we may spiritually preserve our kin. When we are mindful, our focus is clear and effort is easier. It may be that times come when our work takes us away from right livelihood, we can stay with this job until we find something better and forgive ourselves in the meantime.

Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hahn says in his book, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, ‘We cannot succeed in having a right livelihood one hundred per cent, but we can resolve to go in the direction of compassion and reducing suffering. And we can resolve to help create a society in which there is more right livelihood and less wrong livelihood.’

You will never see a beaver floating on a raft with all its belongings, in search of greener pastures. The beaver is content with its lot. Life is, quite simply, good enough. You have to ask yourself why you are in your current job; if you are choosing prestige over priority, staying in a position that neglects your inner life, there are always opportunities. We confuse and restrict ourselves on a daily basis with negative self-talk. Do not restrict yourself with the expectations that are thrust upon you. Every day you are alive, you get another chance to follow the call of your soul.