Things That Make You Say Hmm:
sui generis© 2000
THE TIGER AND THE MONK
It is said that the Venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche often told stories to his students in order to demonstrate the teachings of Buddha. One story that he particularly liked to use to explain the three aspects of mind, sem, rikpa, and yi was the story of the monk and the tiger.
One day a faithful monk was walking about the forest trying to find a spot to practice sitting meditation. He walked and he walked but he could not find a place where he felt comfortable to free his mind.
After a time he finally came upon a lovely spot under a tree near a cliff. Not soon after he had settled down and began his prayers and breathing a large tiger came creeping out of the bushes. Upon opening his eyes and spotting the tiger moving towards him the monk immediately began to search his mind preparing for his fate. Tapping into the shrewd nature of rikpa he began to bargain for his life. "If I sit very still maybe the tiger will ignore me and go on his way," he thought. Peeping carefully out of one eye the monk saw that the tiger was begun stealthily stalking closer. Next the political sem aspect of his mind took over. "Oh mighty tiger," the monk proclaimed, "You do not want one such as I. My puny body could not satisfy your mighty hunger." But the monk's words had no effect. The tiger moved still closer. And as the monk finished his plea the sensitive yi of the monk's mind took over and he gladly offered himself to the tiger for his dinner.
It was a warm spring morning in Biloxi. Miss and as always the heady aroma of magnolias was thick in the muggy gulf coast air. But this morning Rayford Emmons Sr. didn’t know a thing about it. He was barely clinging to life at Shady Oaks Retirement Home and all he could think about was his boy. The last time he saw Ray Jr. they argued hard and long. That was 4 long, lonely years ago. About the time he was forced into Shady Oaks. Ray Jr. slammed out of the house and promised never to come back again. Rayford Sr’s biggest regret with dying now was that he wouldn’t have a chance to apologize to his son. All he wanted to do was to tell the boy that he was sorry. He couldn't help being a head strong, unreasonable, old fool. All he wanted was the best for his son. Why couldn’t he be more like him? Rayford’s thought’s were interrupted by a loud voice. "Rayford your son …" Startled, Rayford Sr. found strength. It took great effort but the old man got his unfocussed eyes to open. What he saw when he did made his heart skip a beat. His son Rayford Jr. was standing at his side. "Ray Jr., Ray Jr. son I knew you’d come." The young man took the feeble old man's out stretched hand and squeezed it in his own as he sat down in the chair beside the bed . Throughout the night sitting there, holding the old man's hand, the young man whispered words of comfort to Ray Sr. as the old man apologized for not being the father he thought his son wanted him to be.
As the light of dawn spread throughout the room Rayford Emmons Sr. died. It didn’t take long for the nursing home staff to come swarming into the room turning off machines and removing needles from the lifeless body. One of the nurses stepped over towards the young man to convey her sympathy, but as she began the young man stopped her. "Who was that old guy?" he asked.
The startled nurse replied, "I thought he was your father!"
"No, he was not my father," he answered. "I never saw this guy before in my life. I came to deliver some flowers from his son and he called out to me."
"But you stayed there with him all night. Why didn't you just leave?"
"Well", the young man said, "I realized he was dying and he needed to tell his son he was sorry." He continued. "When he called out to me I figured it wouldn't hurt to be the man's son for a little while. I mean, if I were in that position I’d want somebody to do the same for me."
While we're not expected to offer ourselves as dinner for a wild animal, or sit up all night holding the hand of a dying stranger, we do need to practice being more considerate to others. Think about it. When was the last helped an elderly person with their groceries or took the time to help a stranger. Most of us rush around through our days bogged down with our own overwhelming lives forgetting that there's more than the self seeking behavior we see everyday. Considering another can be the best thing you're done all day.
The Golden Rule states:
"Do Unto Others As You Would Have Done Unto You"
Jesus said, "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." Luke 6:31
The Jewish Aprocrypha, Book of Tobit (4:15) states:
"And what you hate, do not do to anyone".
Imagine what the world would be like if we treated people the way that we wanted to be treated. Wow! Can you just see that???
See you next week:
Expect- What- Ions
sui generis© 2000
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