We are genetically predisposed to all things living, just as the Buddha had a penchant for the lotus.

Embracing the awe of nature can remedy and lower the heat of the stew brewing inside our heads.

Even tending an indoor garden can boost our mental health.

There is always a lotus flower in stories about the Buddha. This flower, the lian hua 莲花, surfaces through muddy waters, and its waxy petals deflect the dirty muck. It is pure and resilient. This is supposed to be a metaphor, as the Buddha has no desires and is transcendent and peaceful, even in the muck. Spending time in nature is a way to get out of our heads.

My paternal grandfather knew something about embracing nature. He thrived in the mountain air, spending more time in the hills than at the hearth. He walked miles and miles, trading his goods. He was a prosperous salesman and even bought a second home in the hills, where he shared well water with one of his neighbors, who turned out to be the family of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Grandpa was endlessly amused.At one point, our family worried that he needed a helper. The teenage boy they hired, however, couldn’t keep up with Grandpa, so the old man set the boy on the donkey while he walked. Grandpa remained in robust health for most of his life by walking and surrounding himself with trees, mountains, and fresh air.

The German social psychologist Erich Fromm first used the term “biophilia” for our attraction to living things. American biologist Edward O. Wilson popularized this idea in his book of the same name, Biophilia. In effect, we are genetically and evolutionarily predisposed to all things living, just as........

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