After the Storm
The rumours of a hail storm turned out to not be rumours. A dreadful hailstorm hit with tremendous force last night. The winds were aggressive and intense, the abundance of rain pounded hard in every which way, and massive amounts of hail the size of grapefruit smashed into anything in its path. It was far worse than what was expected. The sound of the storm was so boisterous, it hindered my concentration and prevented me from engaging in my studies. The inner turmoil last night, as I helplessly watched our homes and fields be destroyed was overwhelming. In the moment of utter chaos and misfortune, it was a challenge to remember that the physical damage, and emotional, and mental misery would not be permanent.
Unfortunately, the amulet I bought did not protect us as I had hoped it would. Gratefully no one was severely injured; however, on the other hand, the monastery was banged up quite badly, and my garden was destroyed. I will be going out to clean up, and to try and salvage what parts of it I can. Hopefully there will be fruits and vegetables that are still usable that I can gather. It took me sometime to try and understand why the amulet did not work, but I came to a realization. The amulet did not work, because I only bought one of them. I was completely distracted by my emotions of the upcoming storm that I did not realize that there was more than one amulet the ritualist was selling at deer park. The two amulets together would have had the power to protect us. I am really trying to not get caught up in my mistake, but it is hard when I see the damage that was done.
This morning many of us awoke to evaluate the amount of damage that was done by the storm. The village is in ruins; many of the homes are severely damaged, in need of extensive repairs, and many of the fields were completely destroyed. Winter is coming and with many of the village’s crops destroyed we are going to have to find a way to conserve enough resources for us to survive the winter. Also, the bridge that allows us to come and go from the village was washed away in the storm. Our lively hood as a community depends on that bridge, the traders cannot trade resources without access to cross over the river. Without a bridge, we cannot send for help, or help those in surrounding villages. Without the bridge, we are trapped here. Rebuilding the bridge is going to require a lot of assistance from the village people. It is going to take the generosity of many villager to accumulate the amount of resources that will be required to rebuild the bridge. I do not have much to give, but I will donate all the building resources that I can, as well as my limited skills in building.
It is extremely important we get that bridge fixed, as we have received word that the village next to us has been stricken with a naga illness. The people over there would benefit from the talents and knowledge our doctors and ritualists have to offer. I do not have much knowledge in the way of medicine and rituals, but I have done enough studying on the naga serpent spirits to know that they are not good. In Tibetan mythologies, there are stories that support the idea that the nagas are the primary source of bad spirits that can cause mental illnesses and diseases, brought upon people who upset the spirits with their negativity and bad thoughts. I do not know why the people in our neighbouring village were stricken with the naga illness, but Karma good or bad, is not easily restrained. One cannot hide from the consequences of their thoughts and actions from this life or another.
I sincerely hope, that we can send enough doctors and ritualists to help the people in our neighbouring village. My heart goes out to the inflicted. It is fundamental in times like these, when there is suffering that we remember to have compassion for others. We are all interconnected. We are all suffering together in samsara. We are all learning the lessons of impermanence that all things are consistently changing. The attempt to hold onto the things we desire and value most is what is causing so much of our adversity. We all are experiencing dukkha, because of our desires and attachments. If we can let go of our selfish cravings and attachments, and look within ourselves to find compassion and generosity towards others, we will generate good karma.
It is almost that time for prayers and meditation, so I must be on my way. Until next time.
