park Buddha | Imustruneverywhere

In my previous post, I wrote about how I enjoy taking breaks and getting all contemplative while doing park-visiting runs. The post was called Park Buddha. However, there’s more to my park visits regarding The Buddha.

Siddhartha Guatama achieved enlightenment a long, long time ago, and became known as The Buddha.

Siddhartha Guatama achieved enlightenment long ago, and became known as The Buddha.

You see, The Buddha was directed to live as an ascetic, which he did for six years, nearly starving to death. Then he was allowed to eat normally, but had to sit under a tree 24 hours a day. Not having a clue how many years he’d have to do this, he invented the swing to alleviate boredom. He was supposed to sit cross-legged and meditate every waking hour, but when he noticed God was pre-occupied with other issues for long periods, he built the swing using branches and twine that he spun from plants growing under the tree. When God noticed the swing and questioned him about it, The Buddha convincingly replied that he didn’t know how it got there, nor what it was used for.

Soon, God caught Buddha on the swing and lengthened the time he had to spend under the tree. This made Buddha really mad because he’d already endured enough hardship. Eventually the Buddha achieved enlightenment, and swings have become an object of spiritual significance.

Thanks to The Buddha, by leaping through a swing, you too, can attain spiritual enlightenment. That’s why they became standard equipment at parks. However, this purpose has been largely forgotten, and it’s now considered a playground item for children.

One leap through a swing won’t bring enlightenment. It must be done many times, and the amount varies by individual. It could be 17,553 times or 23,405. There’s no way to know how many times it takes, but do it enough and the walls fall away, and you’ll see beyond the physical. That’s why I try to include a few parks in my running route. Jumping through a swing over and over for hours is hard work. If I do it a few times each run, I can eventually reach enlightenment without getting burned out. The following photos show how to expertly leap through a swing so that you can reach enlightenment, too. Good luck!