There are times for going out into society and relating with the world, and there are times for going deeper into your practice and gaining more confidence in the teachings. At such times, you need to find some quiet place for practice and not get lost in distractions.

The solitude of nature brings a touch of melancholy or sadness to the mind. Alone with the trees and wind and the birds, ants and wild animals, you naturally begin to reflect more deeply. As your view of what is meaningful becomes more vast, your sense of melancholy deepens. You may notice something ironic: sitting quietly alone, you may feel less isolated from the world than you do when you're busily engaged in the hustle and bustle of your everyday lives.

Some People feel a strong attraction to this unfamiliar feeling of melancholy--and others, a strong urge to run away. In either case, the important thins is to appreciate our underlying sadness. It is a hint of a deeper intelligence that is normally obscured by the distractions of daily life. In solitude, this natural faculty of our mind comes out of an almost dormant state. Looking out at the natural beauty around us, we realize how much there is to appreciate beyond the narrow focus of ego--and how meaningless is our madly driven life.

--from It's Up to You: The Practice of Self-Reflection on the Buddhist Path, by Dzigar Kongtrul

Thanks A, for the gorgeous photograph. I always admire your vision.