i woke up one morning recently with the impulse to read from one of my favourite daily readers, “light the flame: 365 days of prayers from around the world”, compiled by andrew harvey.
the reading for 18 may challenged and inspired me. i share it with you here.
from today onwarduntil the attainment of enlightenmentmay i be willingto live with my chaos and confusionand that of all other sentient beings.may i be willingto share our mutual confusionand work incessantly and humblyto help and elevate everyone without exception.
this is a vow made by tibetan buddhist nuns and monks. i imagine it needs to be made daily because there is always chaos and confusion, even in times of relative calm and peace.in these days of COVID-19 many of us live in some form of confusion.
is this cough a symptom? should i be tested? am i now allowed to visit a friend in a park, maintaining physical distance? when will i be able to go to a cafe again? government guidelines don’t often offer much clarity and sometimes they might go counter to our personal, inner guidelines.the chaos caused by anxiety and grief surrounds us too, regardless of our personal experience. these painful emotions are in the atmosphere around us. and many of us might have had direct experience of fear and grieving.
many of us might have lived through a bout of the illness and recovered. will those who have recovered be the same as they were? will their health be compromised? how do they feel now about the pandemic?so much is unknown and yet there is the potential to be willing to share the confusion, our own and that of others, and to be part of the community of sentient beings. willingness is all that is asked of us in this vow/prayer. we are not asked to be perfect or to be enlightened…only to be willing to be human and serve other beings.
elders have the unique opportunity to take the eagle’s eye view, to see the big picture of service, compassion and understanding. we know confusion and chaos. we’ve seen it before. we’ve lived with it before. this is not to minimise the current situation. rather elders can bring our experience of the past into the present and open our hearts to willingness. we can step outside our immediate situation and see a broader, wider picture.we can set an example of living with our own chaos and confusion and hold the hand (virtually) of those who are suffering. we can walk side by side and share. we can work humbly to aid and elevate others in whatever way we can.