[An Essay from My Heart]

Beginning of Spring: The First Breath of Life in Stillness

The harsh winter has passed, and the fields lie in quietude, catching their breath.
The wind cuts cold, yet I let my mind rest in ‘stillness (靜),’ recalling the teachings of Choi Rip (崔岦)—a scholar of simplicity and clarity (簡易), rightly regarded as a Renaissance figure of Joseon.
Frost clings to the tips of branches, small life stirs beneath the frozen earth, and a single snowflake melts in the sunlight—
each moment holding its breath, preserving its own order.

I turn my gaze with the mind of ‘observant perception (觀).’
Even in a drifting flake of snow, in a gently swaying blade of grass, I sense the traces of winter and the preparation for spring.
Within these trivial units, the principle of awakening life reveals itself.
The first song of birds, the sprouting of life beneath the soil, branches trembling in the wind—
all intertwine, forming a new order, unveiling the quiet vigor of spring.

On this morning of the first solar term, I inhale deeply, in silence.
Through stillness, through careful observation, I perceive the meeting point of winter’s hush and spring’s stirrings.
The joy I feel is not in what is merely visible, but in the order and essence of nature discerned through the lens of 'quiet contemplation (靜觀).'

As the sunlight grows longer, signs of life appear one by one upon the land.
Frozen streams begin to flow; tiny leaves emerge from cracks in the stones, catching the light.
Following Choi Rip’s insight, I do not simply witness change—I perceive the laws by which nature restores its own order.
Winter and spring, silence and sound, ice and water—all interact, creating the harmony of life.

Moreover, I sense the human heart awakening alongside nature.
Through harsh trials and patient stillness, the mind is refined, and thought deepens.
Beginning of spring is not merely a marker of the seasons; it is ‘a moment in which nature and humankind meet, reaffirming life and order together.’
 

Having endured winter, living again within the vigor of spring, I feel my own heart quietly awakened, alongside all things. ***

February 8, 2026
 

At Sungsunjae (崇善齋)

{Solti}

한국어 번역: https://www.ktown1st.com/blog/VALover/348373