The path, the traveller, the virus…
There once lived a young prince
Who had never so much as seen a tear
For his father king was determined to rule his life.
A prophecy had said that prince will rule
Either his subjects or himself,
And the king would have none of the latter.
The father king only instructed the prince
In joy, luxury, comfort and ease.
One day, however, the young prince sneaked out
And opened his eyes to reality.
He encountered age, sickness, death and suffering
That made him pause and assess his destiny.
The prince became an ascetic;
He made friends with age, sickness and death;
He embraced suffering, became one with it;
And discovered, the only way out is through.
He went on to rule himself,
Laid a path for others to rule themselves, too.
They call him the Buddha
He discovered that the way out of suffering
Is to dance with it, for that is one’s dharma.
~
There was once a race of people
Who blinded themselves to their mother’s pain
For the system that fathered them
Lived only to perpetuate itself.
Eventually, it was either the system or the mother planet
And the system would have none of the latter.
The father system only egged on the race
To go after success, amassment, ambition and fame.
One day, however, a tiny microbe sneaked out
From a bat to an unsuspecting human.
It made them encounter what is essential
And made them pause and assess their choices.
The path always existed for the race
But the father system shrouded it with hardships
So the race believed it was merely for monks
And ignored the enlightenment presented on a platter.
Till they had no choice but to be dragged on to it,
Where they realised, the essential was all they needed.
They call them the sapiens
The world awaits, in extended pause…
For them to look life in the eye, and ask her for a dance.
~
The Buddha travelled alone
To create a path
So the sangha may follow
In community, to meet themselves.
Perhaps, the Buddha was the time-travelling soul…
Perhaps, the sangha is the earth-faring body…
#RukminiIyer #Buddha #Covid
