being with a wild animal

[on a trip to Mudhumalai with some friends]

Woke up around 6:30
After an uninterrupted sleep. I wanted to make good use of being in the forest and so meditated for some time. All the other guys were still asleep and I stepped out of the cottage after around half an hour into the pristine world outside.

The air was fresh and cool, and all I could hear was the sounds of a variety of birds, predominated by the calls of a distant peacock. I sat on the steps at the door. A langur… a silver colored primate with a jet black face slowly walked by, its long silver tail held straight and high curling at- the top, and a baby clinging on to it upside down… a beautiful animal. I felt like rushing for my camera… but just observed the thought without reacting to it, instead I continued to sit there and motionlessly look at it; it noticed me casually and walked on slowly without breaking its pace.

During those precious moments of absolute peace, my mind had just that wild animal; nothing else existed in the world. I watched it as it joined its pals on the roof of a nearby cottage. I could understand the sentiments of wild animal photographers.