We confront moral issues and ethical dilemmas, we run out of patience and confidence, and we also look for short-cuts for success and instant gratification in life. And often we find ourselves comparing our life and successes with others and do course correction and tamper with our value system to catch up with the rest. But does it pay-off in the end is a big question mark.
Here is a worthy experience - 108 Yaks: A Journey Of Love And Freedom narrated on film by Thubten Jinpa, a Buddhist monk. Thubten Jinpa was given a task by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of the Foundation for the preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) of Buddhism.
The Context: The nomads in Nepal were selling the yaks because of the lack of manpower to look after them. The sold yaks were killed for meat and Mahayana tradition condemns killing of animals. Thubten Jinpa did some research and found out where they were sold. The act of freeing the animals falls under the category of animal liberation, a traditional practice in Tibetan Buddhism. But simply buying them was not enough, Thubten Jinpa had to find a safe place for them to be looked after.
The Task: To take 108 yaks through the mountains crossing over at around 18,000 feet, to reach their destination, the Rolwaling valley, where the animals were safely deposited with villagers.
The Journey: “Taking such a large group of yaks across the treacherous, uninhabited lands at such high altitudes is something a few would venture to do. And what gave me faith to put me life and so many lives at risk was the courage that came from years of study,” says Thubten Jinpa .
Pearls of Wisdom from the Journey:
1. “The more I learn, the more I connect to the teachings. Now I am able to understand the principles and put them into practice. So whenever a conflict arises, I am able to discern the methods that I can apply to deal with it. I have grown deeper in my faith, my connection and my commitment to continue the practices,” says Thubten Jinpa.
2.“All negativity arises from the mind, from having a wrong perspective about life. Suffering is in the mind. One becomes free when one understands this.”
3. Death is a certainty for every living being, so what matters is to ensure that life itself is wholesome not just physically but mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well.
4. One has to find a way to treat the life state that caused the being to be born as an animal. It is not possible to save all the animals, but benefiting one animal is better than doing nothing.
5. The group faced its share of obstacles along the way with changing mountain paths, and rough trails. At one point they find their only train washed away by the rain. Taking the viewer across pristine mountain vistas, 108 Yaks… is a demonstration of the profound commitment that comes from a space of innocence and love.
6.The journey is as important as the destination, so choose the right destination and embark on the right journey to self- liberation. Practice generosity, one of the six perfections of the Mahayana tradition which includes morality, patience, perseverance, concentration and wisdom.
As we go through our individual journeys of life, we will be entrusted with purposeful yaks by our elders at home, superiors at work, or spiritual leaders in our faith. And on the journey you will come across changing mountain paths, high altitudes, treacherous trails, trials and tribulations, and when you do, remember this story on 108 Yaks: A Journey Of Love And Freedom.
Here is the detailed coverage about this journey on The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article3620678.ece
Here is where you can get the DVD - http://shop.fpmt.org/108-Yaks--A-Journey-of-Love-Freedom-DVD_p_1674.html
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Just an afternoon ramble
A colleague of mine stopped by my desk to confirm if I was single. And when I confirmed what he had heard was correct, I could see a priceless smile laced with a tinge jealousy on his face. It was almost a neighbors’ envy owner’s pride moment! I stoked his smoldering jealousy by asking him about his marriage and family. At one point in the conversation, he opened up like the monsoon cloud and said, “I was in a dilemma if I should go for the second child, and I thought about time, quality and resources needed to bring up the second one, but it is too late and my second child is 6 months away from delivery.”
I didn’t know how to react or respond to him, but I reassured him that most children are bedroom accidents and every parent must be going through a similar quandary though society believes that every human ought to be a parent and by birth possess parental qualities and resources to rear children.
After he left my desk, I thought about child birth and responsibility from his perspective. Time, resource, patience, dedication all seem to be a scarcely available commodity in today’s world and why would I want to bring in another life and take additional responsibility of earning, providing, sacrificing, worrying and expecting - beyond my means and bounds?
While at my desk, the same colleague also shared his unfruitful ordeal searching for good schools for his son and the same week an ex-colleague called up to share her anxiety behind college admission for her son who recently passed 12th grade. Are these people really ready for such parental responsibilities or are they prepared pick-up required skill in the process of raising children or are they clueless in simple terms, is to be researched.
In the east, the moment the child is conceived parents decide the profession of the child, while in the west they think about providing an independent room for the child and giving it a space to play, think and be on its own. Irrespective of East or West, are parents playing their role and dispensing their responsibilities without expecting returns for their hard work, long nights, and innumerable sacrifices?
Religions may have sanctified the act of procreation to keep-up the numbers following their faith by portraying abortion and contraception as evil and sinful. Hinduism calls this stage of life as grihasthashrama and glories it as a requirement to cross the ocean of samsara to graduate to the next stage of life, Vaanaprastha. Looking around, I only see these religions has only increased the population and left married couple float and flounder in unending unhappiness and eternal worry in the name of samsara.
For no fault of theirs:
· Bright couples give birth to a kid with Down’s syndrome
· Poor couple have to send their bright kids to work than to school or college
· Orthodox couples have to deal with their child coming out gay
· Elders have to swallow their grandchildren marrying outside the caste or some have to come to terms with their grandchildren divorcing
· Rich parents need to swallow their kids’ addiction to alcohol, drugs and etc.
· And sometimes when everything about the kids is right, they prematurely die
· Righteous couples get taken for a ride by their daughters-in-law and some get thrown into old age homes
And every time when children fail to live up to expectations, people (relatives and friends) in the name of society cast aspersion on parenting and crucify them for every action of their children. And when things go out of control society blames parents for their bad karma from previous birth, making present life a living hell. Who is to blame for this -Is it society or children? The perfect chicken or egg question!
All this brings the joy and fruits of parenting to a big question mark. Is it worth the pain, sacrifice and risk? Does parenting come with fine and invisible print? Is parenting a gamble with no guarantees, promises and happiness? I have no answers, but just this one liner- It is important that you evaluate your life and the disappointments you brought to your parents before you turn out to be one and also ask if you have the necessary qualities to be a parent. The world may call me barren and selfish for being single and childless, but is lot easier than being a parent and saddled with blames and disappointments. Watching a priceless smile laced with jealousy on a colleagues face is better than bearing the brunt and blame from society.
I didn’t know how to react or respond to him, but I reassured him that most children are bedroom accidents and every parent must be going through a similar quandary though society believes that every human ought to be a parent and by birth possess parental qualities and resources to rear children.
After he left my desk, I thought about child birth and responsibility from his perspective. Time, resource, patience, dedication all seem to be a scarcely available commodity in today’s world and why would I want to bring in another life and take additional responsibility of earning, providing, sacrificing, worrying and expecting - beyond my means and bounds?
While at my desk, the same colleague also shared his unfruitful ordeal searching for good schools for his son and the same week an ex-colleague called up to share her anxiety behind college admission for her son who recently passed 12th grade. Are these people really ready for such parental responsibilities or are they prepared pick-up required skill in the process of raising children or are they clueless in simple terms, is to be researched.
In the east, the moment the child is conceived parents decide the profession of the child, while in the west they think about providing an independent room for the child and giving it a space to play, think and be on its own. Irrespective of East or West, are parents playing their role and dispensing their responsibilities without expecting returns for their hard work, long nights, and innumerable sacrifices?
Religions may have sanctified the act of procreation to keep-up the numbers following their faith by portraying abortion and contraception as evil and sinful. Hinduism calls this stage of life as grihasthashrama and glories it as a requirement to cross the ocean of samsara to graduate to the next stage of life, Vaanaprastha. Looking around, I only see these religions has only increased the population and left married couple float and flounder in unending unhappiness and eternal worry in the name of samsara.
For no fault of theirs:
· Bright couples give birth to a kid with Down’s syndrome
· Poor couple have to send their bright kids to work than to school or college
· Orthodox couples have to deal with their child coming out gay
· Elders have to swallow their grandchildren marrying outside the caste or some have to come to terms with their grandchildren divorcing
· Rich parents need to swallow their kids’ addiction to alcohol, drugs and etc.
· And sometimes when everything about the kids is right, they prematurely die
· Righteous couples get taken for a ride by their daughters-in-law and some get thrown into old age homes
And every time when children fail to live up to expectations, people (relatives and friends) in the name of society cast aspersion on parenting and crucify them for every action of their children. And when things go out of control society blames parents for their bad karma from previous birth, making present life a living hell. Who is to blame for this -Is it society or children? The perfect chicken or egg question!
All this brings the joy and fruits of parenting to a big question mark. Is it worth the pain, sacrifice and risk? Does parenting come with fine and invisible print? Is parenting a gamble with no guarantees, promises and happiness? I have no answers, but just this one liner- It is important that you evaluate your life and the disappointments you brought to your parents before you turn out to be one and also ask if you have the necessary qualities to be a parent. The world may call me barren and selfish for being single and childless, but is lot easier than being a parent and saddled with blames and disappointments. Watching a priceless smile laced with jealousy on a colleagues face is better than bearing the brunt and blame from society.
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