The Storm, Gossip and Re-examination of the Self

Alas, the rumors of the impending hailstorm turned out to be true. In fact, the storm was considerably worse than anybody had predicted. My house, along with the houses of many of the other villagers was very badly damaged. It will take great community effort to rebuild. In addition, the bridge leading out of the village was washed away. What a shame. This misfortune is further compounded by the fact that the Naga illness has stricken a neighboring village. We have skilled doctors and ritualists here that could travel to provide assistance to the sick, without the bridge however, this will have to wait. My job is as a bridge builder, so, I know what I must do. I will contribute my time and resources to help rebuild the bridge so that the more learned in the village can help heal those in need.

Last week I reflected on the teachings my parents had passed down to me on the usefulness of amulets and charms. I thought the Buddha had dismissed such items as magical nonsense. Now though, I am not so sure. It seems that those who has sought out such items were spared the worst of the damage to their homes. It saddens me that my home has been so badly damaged, but I fear this sadness is foolish. These four walls and roof are inherently impermanent, as am I. So, why am I so saddened by their loss? Clearly I am still attached to worldly, material objects. Perhaps I should be thankful for such a turn of events. I feel that it is time I refocus my spiritual life and recommit to meditation and understanding the basic doctrines of Buddhism as best possible for an old stubborn man like myself. The loss of houses, the bridge and the farmer’s crops has reminded me of my own impermanence, and at such an old age I think this is important. It won’t be too long until I am gone from this life but how will I be reborn? I know too little about dharma and the path to cessation of dukkha to believe I have positioned myself for a positive rebirth. Now though-hopefully better late than never- I may be coming to the right perspective of the world.

Could the storm have been the karmic results of our villages’ collective actions? If so, what was my part in this? Understanding better now the inherent impermanence of existence, I can perhaps begin to cultivate the right intention. I have been to caught up in the mundane and profane aspects of life, which I now see as a mistake. I hope this mistake did not help lead to the harm the village experienced this week. I will show my newfound understanding by using all my gold and resources to help rebuild, so that I can in my way, contribute to helping the neighboring village at the same time as helping this village. At the same time I shall abstain from any idle speculation and gossip over who in particular may be responsible for the storm. Such speech would only cause more harm and make my contributions useless on a karmic scale. I recall that my mother used to burn incense to help turn back malicious gossip when I was a child. I believe she burned juniper, while chanting a few lines of a mantra intended for this purpose. It went Om ah hum badzra guru Padma siddhi hum! Hum hum! Bhyo bhyo! This morning I recited this while burning juniper in my house. I did this throughout my home after hearing that some of the ritualists were doing this in their homes. Hopefully, this action helps dispel causes of the storm and possible future misfortune that may come to our village.

I am doubtful though. Once karma has set something in motion, can a simple chant really do anything to stem its tide? Is its effect compounded if many people participate? What about our collective actions to rebuild and to help our neighboring village? Does all this along with our rituals do anything to change what the future holds? I do not know, though I am committed to learning more, I am constantly reminded that I don’t know more than I do know. There is still much to be learned.