Buddha...
Somebody had placed his broken statue at some random place on a random tree in the university campus. His statue was almost ruined & yet I could recognise those familiar expressions on his face. He was listening to the world around with his ears open, looking at the world with his eyes ajar, & still his smile was somehow reflecting the calmness of his mind.
What was that? Why was he smiling?
We, a group of people gathered around him to share quality time with each other were sharing so much pain, sorrows & unpleasant experiences about our own worlds. I'm sure there weren't even 30% of the things shared pleasant. I'm sure there was much of an opaqueness in the conversation instead of a transparency. There must be other people too whom he must have been witnessing daily. There must be other lives too with 'kabhi khushi kabhi ghum' scenarios happening on a regular basis. There must be some studious people studying hard to get their dreams to fulfill. There must be some lovebirds hanging out to share sweet moments. There must be some couples fighting over silly misunderstandings breaking each other's hearts. There must be some friends bunking classes & creating memories. There must be some lonesome person visiting that place daily regretting about why couldn't they appreciate their companion when they were with them. There must be some sensitive mind planning for a revenge to force its way to what it wants. There must be many smiles, many tears, many evils, many dreams, many nightmares floating all day around him. Yet... He Was Smiling!!!
I asked him while being lonely into the group, 'There is so much going on with everyone... almost indigestible. How can you still smile?' He answered me back with one of his gestures that I was totally ignoring all this time. He was bearing 'Abhayamudra' - the gesture representing protection, peace, kindness & the dispelling of fear. Suddenly, it was crystal-clear. What my tiny brain could understand was the 'acceptance of it as it is', 'living it with tranquility' & 'reacting to it with understanding' is what turns into the peace, the fearlessness, the kindness, the bliss Buddha's smile was reflecting.
His smile was strange, yet enchanting.
Surprisingly, I happened to smile back at him.
☺ Sonal
