Page 46 - NAMAH-Apr-2025

Namah Vol. 33, Issue 1, 24th April 2025

this man had remained utterly unaffected,
undistracted. One of them asked, ‘Have you
not heard us? We have been abusing you, and
you have not even answered!’

Buddha said, ‘If you wanted an answer, then
you have come too late. You should have come
ten years ago, then I would have answered you.
“.... How many times a day, still, I act without But for these ten years I have stopped being
my action being consecrated to Thee; I at once manipulated by others. I am no longer a slave,
become aware of it by an indefinable uneasiness I am my own master.… (2).”
which is translated in the sensibility of my body
by a pang in my heart…. (1)”

And then comes a day when, before the wrong
step or thought or feeling can happen, I nip
it in the bud, I am conscious of its arising
and immediately (as a residual old pattern)
shun it, let it dissolve, by not following its
dictate. Now there is no space for regret,
as I had stepped back, the action could
not get performed unconsciously as an
old habit. Gradually, I can no longer feel
jealous, I can no longer feel greedy or crave.
It is like I don’t have a choice at all to go
there. All the negative states of being feel
totally alien and impossible now to act from.
This reminds us of one of the stories from It is impossible for the Buddha to become
the Buddha’s life: angry now. The residues, the roots of anger
are gone, he is choiceless; anger has been
“…. One day, Buddha was passing through a uprooted from its deepest roots.
village when some local people came over and
insulted him. They used all the terrible words Pay the Price, Make the Right Effort
that they knew. Buddha stood there, listened
silently, very attentively, and then said, ‘Thank Now this new beauty within, new purity
you for coming to me, but I am in a hurry. I within, of thoughts, feelings and action feels
have to reach the next village; people will be the new normal. You can’t imagine how you
waiting for me there. I cannot devote more were living in such a filthy house earlier,
time to you today, but tomorrow coming back this feels pure, and this feels right. Jealousy,
I will have more time.’ ego, ambition, craving, clinging, feels all
wrong, feels not a part of your being, feels
Those people could not believe their ears: alien; streets that you have left far away. A

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