Flourishing Tree Moments of Inspiration (No. 7): From the Rainforest to the Sea

In each Moment of Inspiration, we share the books, experiences, and people that have recently touched our hearts. Every story is a journey of thought, every insight a reboot of understanding, every burst of laughter a small joy of the spirit.

“From the rainforest to the sea” is Carolyn’s contribution, and it means exactly what it says — no metaphor, no lofty elevation, no ornament. And yet it leaves you with a sense of calm, of beauty, of longing.

From the Rainforest to the Sea (shared by Carolyn)

Over the New Year holiday, Carolyn joined a trek in Hainan, walking more than forty kilometers through the rainforest over two days before finally emerging from the forest to meet the sea. The whole way, she kept silence and stilled her mind — walking with a single focus, light and attentive.

Carrying a heart full and brimming, Carolyn shared what she felt and what she learned.

Meeting the Unknown with Exploration

When you walk through the rainforest, you find there is no path. And when you cross the forest and face the sea, it seems the road has come to its end. But is it really true that, facing the rainforest and the sea, there is no way forward? No — every path is one you explore for yourself.

Just so with our entrepreneurial journey: facing the unknown rainforest and sea does not mean there is no way through. Rather, every path is waiting for us to explore and open up. Every direction, however much it seems to end, may in fact be one of a thousand paths leading to a new world.

You Can Walk, or You Can Not Walk

When you are walking, focusing on each step is the only thing you need to do. Walking each stretch of the road beneath your feet earnestly and steadily, you come to realize that the journey of life is, in fact, your every step — and no one can take it for you. Even when others help you, the feeling in the end belongs to them, not to your own experience.

Focus on the walking, and let each step carry your awareness and thought. Notice the moments that make you feel at ease or ill at ease, make small adjustments to your stride, and keep the gait that feels good to you.

Remember: to walk or not to walk, to rest or to go on — all of it is your choice. Do not let the pressures and expectations of the outside world bind you. Learn to find your own rhythm and balance on the road that is yours to walk.

Being with Yourself, Keeping a Sense of Lightness

I remember the first day, when we walked through a marshy stretch of the rainforest — an unusually hard passage. The ground was pitted and soaked, and I was wearing rubber boots. In that moment, I decided to focus on learning to walk, and to shut out every stray thought.

As I went, I gradually entered three different states. First, I began to adapt to and accept the road ahead. Then I used abdominal breathing to guide my steps, and little by little my legs no longer felt tired. Especially on that two-hour stretch of continuous uphill — hard as it was, I learned to match my breath to my steps, and it became the most wonderful time of the whole journey. Being with myself, I felt a lightness I had never known before.

By the afternoon, it was as if I had left the clamor of the world behind, hearing only the sounds of the rainforest and seeing the path laid with fallen leaves. In that moment, the green and golden leaves interwoven underfoot gave me a feeling of exquisite beauty, a grace that reached the heart. It was a transformation of both body and spirit — an unforgettable journey.

Where the Heart Is Still, There Is Meditation

On the morning of the second day, we meditated in the embrace of nature, sipping tea while gazing at the scene before us.

I gradually realized that meditation is not only sitting still. It can be walking, working, even any form of deep experience. What matters is the inner feeling and state, not the outward form. In that moment, relaxed, I took in the scenery, listened to music, and savored the fragrance of the tea — and this easy, unhurried state was itself a kind of meditation.

Just then I noticed a small detail: on the railing in front of me, a spider was busily spinning its web. In the rainforest you often encounter all sorts of creatures, but this time I chose to watch quietly. As I observed its delicate movements, I was gradually drawn in by its vitality. And when I realized that this tiny life was at its labor, I felt, unbidden, a kind of respect for it.

In that moment, I felt a deep connection with life, and I was profoundly moved. It was not only a drawing near to nature, but a return to and a looking within of the heart.

Eating a Dish Made with Care

On this journey, I came to a whole new experience of food. As someone who loves good food, I have always chased freshness and variety of taste.

This time, we ate vegetarian the whole way. At each mealtime we would reach a campsite, and the supply truck would arrive after us, bringing several large buckets of food. These were dishes carefully chosen by our guide, cooked for us by an auntie. Though each meal had only one staple, two dishes, and a soup, this simplicity gave me an unexpected delight.

I remember on the first day I tasted curried potatoes and coconut rice, and that curry was the most delicious I have had in my life. The pumpkin soup that followed was cooked beautifully, too.

These experiences made me realize that good food lies not in quantity but in the care and quality of its making. After the journey, a meal at a restaurant, for all its variety, left no deep impression on me.

I came to understand that a single dish made with care, whether simple or refined, is enough to satisfy the pursuit of good food. This experience made me cherish each culinary moment all the more — savoring the care and the flavor in every bite.

If I Plant the Cause, the Fruit Will Come of Itself

On the second day, we crossed the rainforest and finally reached the sea. This time, the sea I saw was utterly unlike any before. To my eyes it was no longer merely a natural landscape, but a world teeming with life and energy.

Standing there, I did not hesitate to take off my shoes and walk toward the sea, and I felt a freedom and an interplay with nature I had never known. The waves gently nudged me toward the shore, and the sand slipped slowly away beneath my feet — and these delicate sensations made me feel deeply the energy of the sea.

Living so long in the city, people often overlook the power of nature; but here, it was as if I had found the source of energy once again.

The sunset that day was especially beautiful. Everything felt so complete that I no longer sought perfection, because all of it was already perfect enough.

I began to understand that life is a process of managing cause and effect. If we are good at planting the cause, we will naturally reap the finest fruit. Walking from the rainforest to the sea, I learned along the way to interact slowly with nature and to savor the solitude of the journey.

I no longer rushed to walk ahead, but savored the stillness of the forest, where there is no one before you and no one behind. This experience was not only a journey of the body but a baptism and an experience of the spirit.

The Present Is the Future (shared by Joyce)

Recently I watched a video about life and death. In it, a man who had survived a serious car accident described how, in that instant, time seemed to stand still. His story led me to reflect deeply on what it means to be a “good person.” He believes that you do not need the outside world to define whether you are a good person; what matters is how you regard your own conduct — what your true intention and motive really are.

Many things in life, like flowers blooming and falling, are beyond our control, but at the very least we can control ourselves and be worthy of our own actions and choices.

He also raised a deeper point about helping others. Some people are troubled when they help others yet receive no so-called reward. He believes we should first consider whether the other person truly needs help, and whether that help might have unforeseen effects on their destiny.

Sometimes our help may keep others from going through experiences that are vital to their growth. So when we help others, our intention and motive matter greatly. We should do each thing from the heart, rather than blindly assuming that all help is good.

Self-reflection, and understanding each person’s unique destiny, are very important. Even as we help others, we must think carefully, making sure our actions arise not only from goodwill but are genuinely good for the other person.

While understanding life deeply and helping others, we must recognize that “the present is the future.” There is no path beneath your feet; you walk it out yourself, in the present. Every choice, every action, is not merely a momentary act but a continuous laying of the groundwork for the future. When we make a decision in the present, whether for ourselves or for others, we should acknowledge how these decisions shape the destiny that is to come.

Every careful deliberation, every sincere act of help, weaves a richer and more colorful future. And so, in every present moment, every step, every day — simply enjoy it well, live it earnestly, choose it, live with full awareness and give it your all, and leave the rest to time. For these present moments are, in fact, how we take responsibility for our own future — laying down a more wonderful road for the self that is to come.

Seeking a True Feeling (shared by Kif)

Near my home there is a hill, not very high, and I go there for a walk almost every weekend. Most of the time I am alone, though sometimes I go with friends.

In daily life, I face the computer and the small chores of investing, and these often leave me with a sense of unreality. But whenever I step into nature, all my cares seem to drift away on the wind. I savor this seclusion from the world — only me and the road beneath my feet, and the small plants and monkeys that appear now and then around me.

I tend to rise early, usually setting out on my hike a little after seven in the morning, walking two hours or more. Though the weather grows hot as the time passes, under the shade of the trees I can still feel a trace of coolness.

These hiking routes are not only physical exercise but a stilling of the mind. Here I have found inner peace and a fresh sense of daily life. This hill has become my anchor for seeking the true.

Not Living in Others’ Expectations (shared by Richard)

Feeling the Beauty

After listening to Carolyn’s account, the first word I felt was “beauty.” Her experience and description let me picture a lovely scene. I think that, for much of her journey, she was in a state of “Being” — or, you might say, in flow.

This state — whether you experience it yourself or observe it in another — is exquisite. Carolyn seems to have a natural insight; she can enter and adapt to this state swiftly, with almost no preparation, which is remarkable.

Her sharing also moved me, drawing together my own experiences and reading. Especially what she said about freely choosing to go on or to stop, without pressure imposed from outside — I think this is a precious kind of power. This relatively free state gives a person the drive to pursue what they truly want.

At the same time, what she said about being with herself, keeping a sense of lightness, reducing distraction, and focusing on the sounds of nature, reminded me of a line from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: The Buddha, or Christ, meditating beside a computer or the gears of a transmission, would be just as at ease as sitting atop a mountain or on a lotus throne.

This reflects a philosophy of life — seeing life itself as a practice. Though this state is hard to reach, it is worth striving for and practicing continually. This capacity for insight and self-reflection is the key to keeping our peace and wisdom in a busy, clamorous world.

Focused and Relaxed

Carolyn’s sharing led me to reflect deeply on the state of focus, and in particular on the different experience of focusing amid tension versus amid relaxation.

We often say we should stay focused, but true focus is found in a calm and peaceful state of mind, not in tension or under pressure. This gave me a new understanding of focus. I was also reminded that even a simple daily activity — like enjoying a dish cooked with care — can be an experience of deep focus and stillness.

I once studied courses on body, mind, and spirit and read related books, and they taught me that true practice and focus are realized not only in sitting meditation or particular exercises, but woven into every moment of life.

For instance, when you drink water or brush your teeth, if you can treat it as the first or the last time in your life, that state of complete absorption is itself an expression of meditation and focus. Yet understanding this is one thing; truly doing it is very hard. We are constantly distracted by the trifles and thoughts of daily life, and there is a great gap between knowing and doing.

True practice and focus ask us to stay aware and engaged in every moment of life. It is hard, but every attempt and every effort is a step toward a beautiful life. This realization and practice make me cherish and appreciate all the more every chance for focus and practice that life offers.

Not Living in Others’ Expectations

Over the holiday I listened to Wu Xiaobo’s year-end show. In the first half he spoke of six principles for finding one’s steadiness in an age of uncertainty, and the fourth — “do not fear being disliked by others; do not live in others’ expectations” — gave me great inspiration.

Wu Xiaobo shared his deep reflection on the book The Courage to Be Disliked. Drawing on Adler’s ideas, the book stresses the importance of self-review and self-examination. He noted that we should reflect on our past and ask whether our so-called success was achieved out of a fear of being disliked by others.

Adler pointed out that so-called unhappiness often springs from living in the expectations of others; the true misfortune is to live for others and lose one’s own life. And so none of us is born to please others, but to realize our own value and potential.

Building up one’s own standard of value, not fearing the opinions of others, not living in their expectations, but living out one’s true self — this process of self-realization is a vital part of life. Only on the basis of knowing, accepting, and realizing ourselves can we attain true freedom and happiness. This courage and wisdom are what each of us should pursue and cherish.

Seeing the World from a Different Angle

Over the holiday I also listened to Luo Zhenyu’s New Year’s Eve lecture. In it he mentioned a kind of aesthetic fatigue, since he has now given the lecture nine years running. To avoid this fatigue, he decided to try a new way to engage his audience.

He told a story he had heard at the Communication University. A student, an extreme procrastinator, began his television documentary assignment only on the last day. Faced with an enormous workload, he simply borrowed a camera, set it down low to mimic a dog’s point of view, wandered around the campus, and submitted the unedited footage. Unexpectedly, this inventive attempt won high praise from his teacher — especially the title he gave the film, “A Dog’s-Eye View of the World,” which was full of creativity.

Luo Zhenyu said this story affected him deeply, teaching him to see the world from a different angle: even a tiny change may reveal an unexpected delight. He realized that the world is full of interesting and useful things hidden in its corners, and only when we go looking for them, like a searching dog, do they come into view.

And so he decided to prepare his lecture in this spirit of the “roaming dog,” hoping that through this creative perspective he could bring the audience fresh and useful insight. This creative angle not only brought new inspiration to his work but also let the audience see a different face of the world.

And is not our reading, our travel, our thinking, our friendships also for the sake of seeing this world from more and different angles? Through varied experience and study, we keep broadening our horizons, challenging our fixed assumptions, and so come to grasp a more diverse and richer truth of life.

Our Flourishing Tree Moments of Inspiration are exactly this: we partners of Flourishing Tree, striking sparks of thought against one another, striking out angles unlike any other. In this process we are not merely exchanging knowledge or sharing experience; we are inspiring one another and growing together. Every sharing, every discussion, may be a key that opens the door to a new world, letting us see scenery we had never noticed before and understand meanings we had never thought through. This continual exploration and learning also makes us braver in facing the unknown and the challenges ahead.

The State of “Being” in Life (shared by Andy)

Carolyn’s earlier account of the journey from the rainforest to the sea set us thinking about the journey of life. Have you ever thought that walking from the rainforest to the sea is like the passage from birth to death?

I think that whether it is walking, dancing, swimming, or any other activity, they are all merely vessels. What matters is not the vessel but your state within the process. This led me to reflect on the meaning of life.

What is “being”? To me, the state of “being” is when you throw yourself wholeheartedly into the present activity — whether walking, eating, drinking tea, or chopping wood — utterly absorbed, with no distraction.

If life could always be kept in this state of “being,” that would be wonderful. Wherever you go, whether you go on, even whether your direction and goals are fulfilled — none of that is what matters most. What matters most is that you can stay in that state of “being” all the way to the final day of your life.

I also want to share my experience of running, something I may not have mentioned before but want to speak of now. I joined a running club, and each time we run five kilometers. After each run I feel a sense of accomplishment, but if I miss the activity for a month, I get a “black-faced” reminder.

So I started running by rote, at least five kilometers each time. At first, after two kilometers, I would tell myself there were three to go, then two to go, and so I kept on. Until one time, I felt this way of running no longer suited me, and I needed to change.

So I divided the five kilometers into several parts, doing a body scan, relaxing the body, breathing abdominally. When I did this, five kilometers was no longer a problem — even ten kilometers came easily.

This method made me enjoy running far more. It was no longer about completing a five-kilometer task, but about relaxing and savoring the process. Once I even ran twelve kilometers in this state, and when I wanted to stop, I found I was still immersed in that comfortable state, reluctant to end it. This experience made me realize that running, like life, is not merely about reaching some destination, but about savoring the process — experiencing the presence and beauty of every moment.

On Meditation

Lately I have been learning about meditation, and one day, as I leafed through material on the subject, I found something fascinating: a talk by a Rinpoche on TED. He noted that many people misunderstand meditation, thinking it means thinking of nothing, and that the moment a stray thought arises they force themselves to empty their mind. He pointed out that this is incorrect.

Meditation is not forcing yourself to think of nothing, nor is it necessarily accompanied by great joy. Meditation is a deep understanding and acceptance of your present state — knowing what you are doing and what you are thinking.

It is a state of “being”: whether eating, walking, or in a Moment of Inspiration, you are wholly engaged, focused on the present activity. Reaching this state is hard, but we can strive for it together, reminding one another and practicing step by step. When we truly experience this meditative state, we feel great joy and peace within.

In Search of a Mission

In pondering the mission of my own life, I went through a long process of self-exploration and finally summed it up in a single sentence. I believe that the meaning of my existence is to awaken myself and awaken others — to find and discover the true place of my body, mind, and heart, and to teach others to do the same, while giving it a beautiful meaning. This understanding formed one afternoon in 2014. From then on, I knew my direction clearly. I realized that I may not be gifted at the technical side of things, but am more able to sense and understand the realm of the heart.

The field of family-office service that I am now in suits my character well; it is itself part of the process of exploring this mission, and so I never tire of it. Family legacy is truly a singular endeavor — you might even call it a great social experiment, one that allows something extraordinarily fragile to endure and grow. Wealth surviving three generations has, since ancient times and the world over, been an exceedingly difficult thing.

To create a methodology for Chinese legacy, combined with new tools; to build an ecosystem-like system; to apply the right processes to family governance and wealth management, so that wealth always serves people and creates happiness and joy — this is how Flourishing Tree achieves the crossing of generations, and how Flourishing Tree’s own founders, too, see their wealth survive three generations.

This may be one of the rare times I have said that, after serving others, I too succeed. In the past, after serving or helping others, I always gained a certain spiritual satisfaction. But this time it is the idea that, having served others, I too must walk toward happiness and fulfillment.

There is demand in the market from clients, yet very little supply. Most people strive endlessly at the level of technique; some make breakthroughs at the level of method. But few in the market break through and put into practice at the level of the whole. Every family’s system is different, but the Way and the methodology within them are the same.

A family, too, has its own body, mind, and heart — what we often call vision, mission, and values. Finding this underlying “One,” and then, through systematic design, letting all wealth serve people so that people attain happiness — this in itself is a beautiful thing.

And so I say that the measure of whether we have succeeded is this: when our family clients achieve the crossing of generations, we too achieve it. That is what shows this family office has succeeded.

Laughter and talk weave the evening glow; our joyful gathering, its spirit yet unspent.

Flourishing Tree Moments of Inspiration — each meeting, once in a lifetime. Until next time.