Tsk tsk tsk

 

My fellow seekers

It's been a little over an year since I've shared a piece of writing with you my friends. A lot has inevitably changed at the heart of the ring of mountains, just as everything else in life. 

A recent addition to our schedule has been the weekly Nāda yoga sessions, where a visiting master makes om-ish sounds as we sit in meditation. Since they are not exactly an 'om' sounds and also because it tapped into and unleashed the inner race car driver of a certain yogi here, we call it the 'vroom vroom meditation'. Inside jokes aside, they are pretty great sessions that take us into a deep silence. 

The previous evening, after many 'vrooms', we opened our eyes as the master began to speak once more. At one point my eyes were drawn towards the ceiling and I couldn't help but watch what was happening up there. 

A butterfly was fluttering it's wings senselessly as it was trying to escape out into the open but was confined within the fenced beams and the ceiling. Close to the poor fellow was a gecko, who was prepared to hunt down its easy target. Behind the butterfly was the vast expanse of the hall and all it had to do to escape was to recognise the space that was there in the opposite direction to where it was struggling to go. From my view point I was helplessly watching, knowing what was about to happen in spite of having a way out. It didn't take long for the gecko to get hold of its trapped prey and when he did... 

"Tsk tsk tsk..." I chirped to myself like a gecko. 

Was the butterfly truly trapped or was it simply trapped by its fixated perspective? Had it looked the other direction it would have seen freedom. But since it lacked a broader view of its surroundings it had to face an unfortunate outcome. 

That made me ponder about life... 

Could it be that we too are blindsided by our limited perspectives and belief systems that push us in the direction of an otherwise avoidable doom? And can someone with a different vantage point see the futility of our efforts just as I did when I saw this butterfly? If so, shouldn't we open our minds to the possibility of something beyond what we can perceive or believe to be true? Is there something we have yet to recognise just like the butterfly about the vast space that was right there behind it? Is that what a master is pointing to out of sheer compassion so that we can recognise the bigger picture? 

What are your thoughts on this story about the butterfly and gecko? And how would you relate it to your own life? I'll leave it at that my fellow seekers. May you fly in the open space, unbound and free. Take care and have a good day!