When I was in
Japan, I was exposed to Buddhism and caught a mild case of it. It was left untreated for almost two decades though
and it is now to the point where it is completely incurable. Now considering most of my audience is sure
to be Caucasian Judeo-Christian types, you can rest assured that Buddhism did
not compel me to shave my head (my hair actually left on its own volition years
ago), dress in our table linen and head to the airport to start selling
pencils. That was the result of accidentally
mixing tequila and some prescription anxiety medications. What Buddhism did compel me to do though was meditate.
I will likely give you the story of my conversion later, but I can tell
you that it was meditation that introduced me to Buddhism and caused me to seek
out more about it. And before you go
thinking that meditation can cause one to reject Christianity and seek solace
in foreign religions, let me ensure you that it can not, and does not want to,
do any such thing. I had a very
eye-opening experience in a church when I was 13 or 14 that had effectively
turned me into an atheist, and was drawn to Buddhism to fill the void because
of its tenets encouraging free thought, tolerance and open-mindedness.
Anyway, I might consider myself a
Buddhist, but it does not mean that I consider myself a good one. I do meditate, trying to clear my mind and
focus upon the big questions of existence such as why are we here, what the
purpose is of our existence, what happens after we die and what I can really do
to make a positive impact on those around me.
Sometimes I feel I get so close to the answer, like I am right on the
cusp of Enlightenment, where the complete understanding of The Universe and The
Incomprehensible Nature of God is right at my fingertips and I feel completely
at peace and calm and totally at one with the Divine, but right as I am at the
precipice of THE ONE ultimate revelation, I fall right asleep. Every freakin’ time. I certainly hope the Dalai Lama is better at
this than I am.
Last night it was almost the same
story. I was THERE. I was at the edge of the infinite, on the
verge of uncovering something deep, revealing and life-changingly* profound
when I felt it starting to slip. I was
drifting off into sleep, and quickly.
Realizing what was happening yet again, I started to become distressed,
a state of mind that is absolutely fatal to the meditative process. Of course, the more distressed I became, the
quicker I was being forced from all that I was seeking. As I was falling past the point of no return,
I was spiritually writhing, reaching out wildly, grasping for a realization,
anything, anything at all that would convince me that I was on the right path,
a simple sign that the keys to breaking the cycle of Samsara and universal
enlightenment were out there and attainable by a mere mortal such as myself!
And I emerged, not into sleep but
fully awake and aware. And with an
Epiphany. I awoke with the realization
that Chimichurri, an Argentinian condiment made of parsley and garlic that I
usually put on steak, would go great on eggs scrambled with onions and cheese. I don’t know where that came from, but
*POOF!*, there it was. It was like the
cosmos had given me a glimpse of the opening quatrain of some future Martha
Stewart Suttra.
But you know what? It was true!
Chimichurri eggs ROCK! I made them
this morning after my workout and they were absolutely FANTASTIC! It made my morning, put me in an awesome mood
and really set the tone for making the rest of the day just as good as my
breakfast was.
On the surface, that really has
nothing to do with Buddhism, and yet it has everything to do with it. State of mind is everything when it comes to
happiness and contentment. Longing for
something that you just cannot seem to attain causes distress and dis-harmony
while peace and solace can be found in just learning to appreciate what you
have and make the best with what you have around you. Of course, you should always work towards
what you want and strive to attain it, but not at the expense of enjoying what
you already possess.
So in the end, it appears that I
was denied Nirvana and given eggs as some sort of cosmic consolation
prize. Sometimes I think Buddhism is the
perfect vehicle for me to keep my mind active and push the boundaries of my
intellectual capacity. Other times I
think it was bestowed upon me just to give me a means of screwing with my own
head.
*I
am completely aware that “changingly” is not really a word. I just do not care because nothing else
really works in that context so Daniel Webster can bite me. While we are at it, “savancy” (the act of
being a savant) should be a word also and is the main reason I just can’t take
those Grammer Nazis seriously.
