Sujata, a young disciple once asked Buddha, the enlightened one to teach her the things which would be easily understood.
Buddha the enlightened one said, ‘you are all intelligent children and I am sure you will be able to understand and practice things I will share with you…. When you children peel a tangerine (fruit like a small orange with loose skin) you can eat it with awareness or without awareness. What does it mean to eat a tangerine in awareness? When you are eating with awareness you fully experience its lovely fragrance and sweet taste. When you peel the tangerine you know that you are peeling the tangerine; when you remove a slice and put it in your mouth; you know that you are removing a slice and putting it in your mouth; when you experience the lovely fragrance and sweet taste of the tangerine, you are aware that you are experiencing the lovely fragrance and sweet taste of the tangerine, and you eat each morsel in awareness, chew each bite to get the most out of that morsel and saw how precious and wonderful taste the smell of each section of the tangerine is. When I eat the tangerine I do not forget how wonderful the tangerine is. And thus the tangerine is real; the person eating it is real. That is what it means to eat a tangerine in awareness.
When you eat a tangerine without awareness? You do not know that you are eating a tangerine; you do not experience the lovely fragrance and sweet taste of the tangerine. When you peel the tangerine you do not know that you are peeling the tangerine. You do not experience the lovely fragrance and the sweet taste of the tangerine. You gobble it up, without appreciating the sweetness or fragrance of the fruit. If you are unaware then you eat the tangerine in such a way that you cannot appreciate how wonderful and precious this fruit is. If you are not aware that you are eating the tangerine, it is not real, neither is the person eating it is real. That is eating a tangerine without awareness.
“A person who practices mindfulness and is conscious and aware of his/her action then you can see the beauty of each and every individual. Like a tangerine if one is aware than one sees thousand things which have made the tangerine possible. If you pay attention and are aware as to how you talk with others, how you perceive others without knowing them, how to avoid thoughts and actions that might hurt, cause sorrow and hatred, then you make very few mistakes and also learn to respect each living being”.
I love this story, this is in a book written by THICH NHAT HANH a Vietnamese Buddhist monk titled, ‘ Old Path White Clouds’ and somehow aptly sums up stigma and discrimination, awareness of your thought and action helps in understanding the five core values of human rights, Dignity, Respect, Choice, Equality and Diversity. Awareness of one own action and creating awareness amongst others is probably the best way to ensure Denial, Stigma and Discrimination are prevented.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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1 comment:
It's really very heart touching story with good learning. I have got many trainings & also read many books with moral values. Still, sometimes I became knowingly unaware what I think or act. Really, we say good things easily. But, it's difficult to practice in our life. Still I believe that we should keep striving to make ourselves a better human being (LAGE RAHO MUNNA BHAI). It's absolutely right that if we are aware of five core values of human rights- Dignity, Respect, Choice, Equality and Diversity, it will be reflected in our thoughts & actions which will surely reduce DSD & no more God will be in pain.
Just 02 days before one gay asked me that he wish to attend a social function in female dress up. He asked my suggestion. I told that I have no objection as I accept their identity. But, I can't say about others. Anyway, he did not go in female dress up. To make him comfortable, I consoled him that others may not accept his behaviors/ dress-up which may create an inconvenient situation. I assured him, in my marriage they can come as they wish. But, I asked myself whether I have taken sufficient initiatives to make an enabling environment for them at my home first? Can I change stigma & discrimination of my good friends’ or family members' also? If not, how can I expect that I will change my in-laws who are new to me? It's really a challenge for me. I can give speech or trainings on DSD. But, it is meaningless, a mumbo jumbo if I will not initiate this change process from my home first. We know about DSD theoretically, but, alas We are not aware of it till now.
Thanks for giving such a beautiful story with learning. I liked it very much
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