The Path of Awareness: Prince Gautama becomes the Buddha

                                                     

                                                

I’ve thought a million times of what it would be like to run into God one fine morning. What would he look like? How would he talk? How would he walk or sit? How would he eat an orange...? There are as many answers as there are people. If I had to choose one living flesh and blood person who came closest to my conception of God, it would be Thay or Thich Nhat Hahn. The venerable Vietnamese monk loved the world over. If I was given two words to describe Thay, I’d say: Love and Light. The caps are deliberate.

Thay has written a beautiful book on the Buddha: Old Path White Clouds. Here is an excerpt which describes the very first ‘sermon’ the Buddha gave after his enlightenment. His congregation consists of a small group of rustic children who have been feeding him and looking after him during the months of his tapasya. He speaks to them in simple words using a familiar everyday example to explain the transformation that has taken place in his being:

‘When you children peel a tangerine, you can eat it with awareness or without awareness. What does it mean to eat a tangerine in awareness? When you are eating the tangerine, you are aware that you are eating the tangerine. 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. The tangerine Nandabala offered me had nine sections. I ate each morsel in awareness and saw how precious and wonderful it was...the tangerine became something very real to me. If the tangerine is real, the person eating it is real. That is what it means to eat a tangerine in awareness.

“Children, what does it mean to eat a tangerine without awareness? When you are eating the tangerine, you do not know that you are eating the tangerine...you cannot appreciate its precious and wonderful nature. If you are not aware that you are eating the tangerine, the tangerine is not real. If the tangerine is not real, the person eating it is not real either. Children, that is eating a tangerine without awareness.

“Children, eating the tangerine in mindfulness means that while eating the tangerine you are truly in touch with it. Your mind is not chasing after thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow, but is dwelling fully in the present moment. The tangerine is truly present. Living in mindful awareness means to live in the present moment, your mind and body dwelling in the very here and now...

“A person who practices mindfulness can see things in the tangerine that others are unable to see. An aware person can see the tangerine tree, the tangerine blossom in the spring, the sunlight and rain which nourished the tangerine. Looking deeply, one can see ten thousand things which have made the tangerine possible. Looking at a tangerine, a person who practices awareness can see all the wonders of the universe and how all things interact with one another...

“Children, living in awareness means to live in the present moment. One is aware of what is taking place within one’s self and in one’s surroundings. One is in direct contact with life. If one continues to live in such a way, one will be able to deeply understand one’s self and one’s surroundings. Understanding leads to tolerance and love. When all beings understand one another, they will accept and love one another. Then there will not be much suffering in the world...

“...Love is possible only when there is understanding. And only with love can there be acceptance. Practice living in awareness, children, and you will deepen your understanding. You will be able to understand yourselves, other people, and all things. And you will have hearts of love. That is the wonderful path I have discovered.”

Svasti joined his palms. “Respected Teacher, could we call this  path the ‘Path of Awareness’?”

Siddhartha smiled, “Surely. We can call it the Path of Awareness... (It) leads to perfect Awakening.

Sujata joined her palms...”You are the awakened one, the one who shows how to live in awareness. Can we call you the ‘Awakened One’?”

Siddhartha nodded. “That would please me very much.”

Sujata’s eyes shone. She continued, “”Awaken’ in Magadhi is pronounced ‘budh.’  A person who is awakened would be called ‘Buddha’ in Magadhi. We can call you ‘Buddha.’”

...Fourteen-year-old Nalaka, the oldest boy in the group, spoke... “Respected Buddha, this pippala tree is the most beautiful one in all the forest. Can we call it the ‘Tree of Awakening,’ the ‘Bodhi Tree’? The word ‘bodhi’ shares the same root as the word ‘buddha’ and also means awakening.”

Gautama nodded his head. He was delighted, too. He had not guessed that during this gathering with the children the path, himself, and even the great tree would all receive special names.’

We belong to a generation that knows the price of everything and the value of very little. Here is the Blessed One, speaking through Thay and taking us back to the wonder and magic of little things.
I started this blog with a homage to Thay. I'd like to quote here a poem about the Buddha translated by Swami Vivekananda. It tells the story of the humble faith of a poor barber and the attitude of the Buddha towards him. It applies equally to Thay because he is just as open and compassionate:

house

"The Blessed One passed by my house, my  house - the Barber's!
'I ran, but He turned and awaited me. Awaited me - the Barber!pp.220-
'I said, 'May I speak, O Lord, with Thee?'
'And He said 'Yes!'
                                       'Yes!' to me - the Barber!
'And I said 'Is Nirvana for such as I?'
'And He said 'Yes!'
                                        Even for me - the Barber!
'And I said 'May I follow after Thee!'
'And He said 'Oh yes!'
                                        Even I - the Barber!
'And I said 'May I stay, O Lord, near Thee?'
'And He said 'Thou mayest!'
                                        Even to me - the poor Barber!'

                                (Sister Nivedita;The Master as I saw him,  pp.220-221

I've never been lucky enough to meet Thay but I'm sure his doors are open to everyone, everywhere. That is why he comes close to my conception of God.                                     

                           

Source: Thich Naht Hahn: ‘Old Path, White Clouds,’pp.128-131.