On a recent visit to Yellowstone National Park, I was struck by the steady focus and the presence of bison. Commonly called buffalo, American bison maintain a presence that reminded me of the spiritual practice of mindfulness. It’s not just bison who have this steady focus and presence. So do many other animals. In this video, I am sharing my reflection on the grace-filled presence embodied by bison and their demonstration of mindfulness. They are a profound model of spiritual practice.
The following is a text version of this blog.
Of all the animals in the Western United States, perhaps the one that captures my attention most is the American Bison. While commonly called a buffalo, bison are not related to buffalo found in other parts of the world. For many years, I didn’t understand that their proper name was bison.
In late March, I spent my spring break from the university where I teach in Yellowstone National Park. I appreciated watching bison as they made their spring migration from the park’s interior toward the Yellowstone River.
The Native peoples of the Great Plains viewed the bison as a sacred animal. It was like no other animal for these tribal cultures. When you spend time and observe bison, you can’t help but notice how stately they are, holding themselves with a unique dignity and power, while also being very calm. For Native peoples of the Great Plains, bison were a source of food, but so much more. Every part of the bison had a use: the hide for clothing, the bones for tools, the teeth for ornamentation. Everything was used. And the meat could be dried and stored for a long time.
Of course, bison were nearly driven to extinction by sport hunting. White settlers would randomly shoot the bison and leave their carcasses rot wherever the animals were killed.
The spring break trip to Yellowstone was not the first time I’ve watched bison. But on this trip, I was able to spend much longer periods of time observing them. One day, as I drove toward Lamar Valley, as I approached a bridge crossing a canyon, a herd of bison began to cross from the other side. I was partway across the bridge as a few hundred bison crossed alongside the car. I sat in the car as what felt like a river of bison was flowing past the car on either side. As they passed, I could see distinctive features in their faces, their coats of thick fur, and observe their breath on that chilly morning. It was quite awe-inspiring.
One day, stopping for lunch in the Lamar Valley, I sat at a pull-out area along the road. On the right side of the road and the left were bison. I could probably see about a thousand bison from that vantage point. While younger animals were jumping and galloping, having fun in the warm spring sun, most of the animals were eating the fresh grass. Others, simply lay in the sun looking very content. As I looked across the valley at the animals, it struck me how this was a wonderful image of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a Buddhist practice of allowing oneself to be fully present in the moment. Christian spirituality has a similar concept that’s simply called presence, but most people don’t know much about that or other Christian spiritual practices. The bison were fully present, in the moment, simply being in the valley, under the sun. Watching them helped me to remember the importance of living mindfully.
It’s easy for us to be distracted by many things even when we’re trying to be quiet. The stream of thoughts running through our minds are one major distraction. But so is living with multiple screens, receiving notifications of email, messages, and other apps on our phones and pads. Of course, we have so many responsibilities causing us to multi-task.
The bison weren’t distracted. Instead, they were present, relaxed, and content. How much better would our lives be if we could live in this way? How much better could our lives be if we could spend even just a few minutes each day living mindfully?
Of course, it’s not just bison who embody this mindful way of living. Cats and dogs and many other animals demonstrate this kind of presence. They simply know how to be and convey contentment.
I know several people who understand animals as spiritual companions or guides. One reason is that animals understand what it is to be present in the moment, to live mindfully, and to simply be. The bison of Yellowstone reminded me of the importance of living mindfully, fully present in each moment.