The other

An odd moment occurred while I was out for my morning walk; I attempted to dismiss it as a phantasm, or the day-dream of a chap who’d read too much popular theoretical physics, Jorge Louis Borges, and speculative fiction, but I couldn’t shake the event from my consciousness.

I was tired; I’d slept in and I had to force myself to get outside for fresh air. About half-way around my usual walk, I came to a fork in the path; I could cut back to the right, a short-cut through the park, or I could continue left, as usual. I felt an odd shimmer deep in the centre of my being; I turned to follow the left-hand path, but he — the other — turned right. He soon vanished into the ethereal space of another world, but I saw him clearly for a moment. He was favouring his left leg, probably due to our sore hip. He turned around, smiled, and said something before he faded into obscurity. His words were swallowed  quickly, as if absorbed in water, but I think he said, “Take care.” He looked exhausted, like he carried a great weight; there were lines of fatigue etched on his face, but he radiated kindness. My heart went out to him, and I wished him well as I continued on my way.

I felt light, energetic, and my mood had risen; I’ve been somewhat moody for the past few weeks, and I suddenly wondered why. I think the other had taken a load of my suffering with him. My hip felt better and my soul was cleansed. He hadn’t taken it all; that would be unfair, but his altruism was stunning.

I wonder how his future will unfold; although he enriched my life, I think his actions raised him to another level. I wish there was something I could do for him. And maybe there is: I can acknowledge his gift by spreading his kindness. I hope I’m equal to the task.

I hope our paths will converge again someday; it would be fun to regale each other with the stories of our separate lives.

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The First Noble Truth

In an attempt to explain Buddhism — as I understand it —  I’m planning to scribe several posts (about one a week). This, the first post, is my rudimentary understanding of the Buddha’s First Noble Truth, which is generally translated as: “Life is suffering” (or life is filled with suffering, or something similar).

But the Buddha wasn’t English, and he did not use the word ‘suffering.’ He told his disciples that life is dukkha, a Pali word with many meanings; unfortunately, there is no English counterpart for the word.

Dukkha can mean suffering (or pain), but can also indicate anything that is impermanent (even happiness), or something that is dependent on, or affected by, something else.

The Buddha’s message was simply one of non-attachment; so enjoy your bliss, but don’t grasp onto it, because it is impermanent and dependent on something else…

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