From & To Sathish #5 - Page 126

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTNYsw2fHGo

When Buddha Refused To Forgive

A restless businessman once came into Buddha’s assembly, walked straight to him and spat at Buddha. He was furious that his children who could have spent their time earning money, sat with Buddha instead, with their eyes closed. Buddha merely smiled at him. There was no word, no reaction. The man walked away in a huff, shocked. He could not sleep all night. For the first time in his life, he met someone who smiled when he was spat at. His whole world had turned upside down.

The next day he went back to Buddha, fell at his feet and said, “Please forgive me! I didn’t know what I did.” But Buddha said, “No! I cannot excuse you!” Everyone in his assembly was taken aback! Buddha said, “Why should I forgive you when you have done nothing wrong?”

The businessman reminded him of what he did on the previous day. Buddha simply replied, “Oh that person is not here now. If I ever meet the person you spat on, I’ll tell him to excuse you. To this person here, you’ve not done any wrong.”

Compassion is not saying, “I forgive you.” Your forgiveness should be such that the person who is forgiven, does not even know that you are forgiving them. They should not even feel guilty about their mistake. This is real compassion.

Tradition of seeking forgiveness

Each year during this time, many cultures around the world celebrate a day of forgiveness, a day when you ask people around you, those you know and those you don’t, to forgive you. The Jewish community celebrates Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, while the Jain community in India celebrate Kshamavani, a beautiful tradition where each person greets the other with Michhami Dukkadam which means seeking forgiveness for deeds or words spoken that may have hurt someone consciously or subconsciously.

It’s a beautiful tradition to not harbour hatred towards anyone. Even Muhammad Ghori who waged many wars against India was forgiven when he asked for forgiveness. Today, there is so much hatred, tension, and violence in the world. There is domestic violence at home, violence between communities, and conflicts between countries. In such a world, observing a day of forgiveness is of great significance.

If everyone in the world could practice forgiveness—both asking and giving—many of the world’s conflicts could be solved. Many of the conflicts in families, and in relationships would be solved.

Is it easy to forgive?

Forgiving is easy when you look at the bigger context. When you see from a wider perspective, you see that a culprit is also a victim. When you see that victim inside the culprit, you don’t need to forgive, forgiveness happens; in fact compassion spontaneously arises in your heart.

Forgiving someone shows one’s compassion. Asking for forgiveness shows that you recognise your mistakes, and that you resolve not to repeat them in the future.

Why make mistakes at all?

Mistakes happen due to lack of understanding, wrong education, wrong indoctrination, emotional outbursts as we don’t know how to control our rage, anger and frustrations. When uncontrolled emotions spring into action, it becomes a mistake.

It is wisdom which checks these uncontrolled emotions; wisdom which makes you think before you act. People commit mistakes because of lack of wisdom, lack of happiness or lack of the inner connection with the divine.

Someone who is happy, content and in love will not harm anyone. It’s impossible. If someone harms another, it is because there is a deep wound or scar inside of them which needs to be healed.

The highest form of forgiveness is to realise that the other committed a mistake out of ignorance, and having a sense of compassion for them. Forgiving others with a sense of compassion is the best form of forgiveness.

Avan, Aval Adhu 409

“There is a strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.” Aaron Lauritsen

He felt her body trembling and took his eyes away from the road and filled his sight with the light that she radiated and asked in a concerned voice, ' Fear? Why?'

Madhurima realizing that all the fears that she had felt in her mind had reached out through her skin and had exposed themselves by the tremors and tremblings of her body, nodded, ' I am scared, Jaanu. I don't know why but a cold fear-like entity seems to be clasping its hands around my core and filling my mind with terror.'

Ravi smiled lovingly and asked, ' Do you want to turn back and return to Madurai?'

Seeing her eyes flutter rapidly in confusion, ' he placed a soft kiss on each of them and whispered, ' Madurai, not Mumbai, Madhu.'

He hugged her tightly and said, ' Feel my heart and hear the sounds of its strong beat and hear the name, the song of love that it is singing. It is singing your name just by saying it. Madhu, Madhu.'

She whispered softly, ' I am scared of meeting your mother and your close friends.'

' Why?'

' I am scared of disappointing them.'

He looked into her eyes, ' Only expectations lead to disappointments. Not prayers and not wishes and hopes.'

' Jaanu, what are you saying?'

' I mean that my people have only one thing in their hearts. My happiness and the end of my loneliness and yes, their dream that the broken piece of my bitter soul unites with the better half of your soul.'

Madhu smiled and asked, ' Are you flirting with me? No need for it is a waste of time, Master sir.'

Seeing a slight disappointment fill his face and marring it like a shadow that is cast on light, she whispered, ' Buddhu, I meant that am already yours and all you have to do is take me and make me yours forever.'

He kissed her and breathed fire from his soul and burnt the fear of her soul and set her free.

' Oh God Jaanu, I want you. I want you all over me and inside me ' she whispered softly and he promised, ' Soon, my love. Very soon my wife and my soul.'

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. Aristotle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-EF60neguk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XviCEkdz1i8

Avan, Aval Adhu 410

The moment the auto-rickshaw turned the corner and began to travel the last stretch of tarmac that would end in their house, Ravi felt her heart pick up more pace as it raced towards some breaking point.

In his mind, he quickly sifted through his life, but for the problem, Meenakshi posed, came up empty, and unable to quell his own rising fears about her fears, he squeezed her hand and asked, ' Why does your heart beat so rapidly like the wings of a hummingbird? Why do I sense your mind is flailing about like a newly trapped bird in a small cage?'

With her head bent, unable to look into his eyes, she replied, ' Panic Jaanu. I feel scared. I know I should not feel it yet my mind is wallowing in panic and fear.'

Placing his fingers under her chin, he gently raised her head and looked at her, and asked, ' Why?'

She smiled and puffed her cheeks and stormed the strands of hair that had fallen on her right cheek and right eye and said, ' Your entire world is in that house. Your mother and best friends and soon others will come to visit you and also visit me.'

' I guess so for that's a given in my community and a few people will eventually turn up to see me and wish me well. In case you have forgotten, it was only yesterday that you kissed me and breathed into me, and raised me from my nearly fatal slumber. But, what has that got to do with what you are feeling and experiencing in your head?'

Madhu shook her head and was about to say something when Ganesan announced, ' We are home.'

A heart knows. Pure love knows, and what could be more purer and stronger than a mother's soul that sees everything and misses nothing when it comes to her child.

Ravi's mother heard the loud cawing sounds of Janaki, the large female Raven, and seconds later heard the sounds of the autorickshaw as it headed towards them bringing her child back to her.

Rasaathi Ammal jumped to her feet like a calf jumping to its feet on seeing its mother and yelled, ' Master Iyaa has come. My son has returned ' and ran towards the door with the speed and agility of a ten-year-old and unlike a sixty-year-old lady who suffered in pain from bad hips and knees.'

Ravi looked at Madhu and she looked at him and saw something flickering and dancing in his eyes and asked, 'What are you thinking?'

Instead of answering with words, he answered silently, and Madhu seeing it and feeling it, whispered, ' I know that smile of yours very well. Beautiful but mysterious. So....'

He placed a finger on her lips and shook his head and getting out of the auto, smiled at his mother, Daksha, and Partha who stood there and said, ' Hi people'.

None of them replied for they had not even bothered to hear him or see him and instead all their attention was focused on the woman inside the auto.

Ravi proferred his hand into the auto and Madhu took his offering and stepped out of the auto and standing next to him, looked at his mother and friends.

Her heart raced with great pace and then suddenly it slowed and stopped as he threw his arm left arm around her shoulders and said, ' Everybody, meet Madhu.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eA5YFPQeAk

“The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.”

I read it and went, "Wow! This quote is so profound, and beautiful, and surely I can learn something from its supposedly deep meaning.

So, I powered up my brain and fired it up, and set it to work at its full capacity. I sat still of mind and body and nothing happened but for a drum beat of a headache that began to visibly vibrate in my forehead.

'' Holy molly, Idhu adhu illa! ' you hear me wail out my discovery and you most probably will go, " Edhu da. Edha solre. Whaat?"

I mean God, love, peace, and all the sayings that state that you can only pheel it in the soul.

A primeval voice, instinct whispered in my primitive brain, ' Life, Satish. just be. Regardless, of you being still in mind and in body or active and moving in body and soul, there is a movement going on all around you. So, take it easy and just be yourself. Go, do, live, and breathe your life and do all that and more. Just be careful and cautious that you don't hurt or stop other lives around you from their quest of doing their thing and living their life.'

I live in a bubble. It is invisible. But, it is there, clear and present and it is called the bubble of physical and mental privacy. I know, honestly, I know and hear you loud and clear when you scream " How is it possible to have and maintain that bubble with friends and family members, and what about them, meaning them souls that you really care about?' ( I am in trouble now.............)

In my crazy head and deep inside my much battered thick skull, I have created another bubble that doubles up as my panic room, safe room, and my high room. It also is my Pooja room, a private chat room and yes it is my own VPN. (Virtual private network)

Only a precious few know the password to my network and in my head, they are my sentinels and my anti-virus software. They double up as my operating system and are the few who know the program code of my inner workings.

Stop it. Wait, you people. Yes, I am talking to all those who are reading this. Do you have your own safe house, or panic room? Better get one for the rest of the ride is going to get really rough and there are many dangerous curves and deadly u-turns ahead.

Caution.

Avan, Aval Adhu 411

Beautiful very pretty or attractive; giving pleasure to the senses. The word “beautiful” comes from the Latin “Bellus”, which means “beautiful, beautiful, charming”. Widely used in classical times only for women and children, while for men it had a pejorative meaning and an Apollonian air, of Apollo, the god of beauty and war. Bealte, "physical attractiveness," also "goodness, courtesy," from Anglo-French beute, Old French biauté "beauty, seductiveness, beautiful person" (12c., Modern French beauté), earlier beltet, from Vulgar Latin *bellitatem (nominative bellitas) "state of being pleasing to the senses"

One thought flashed in their minds. One common thought collectively exploded in all their hearts the moment Madhu got out of the autorickshaw and stood next to Ravi.

Rasaathi Ammal, Partha, and Daksha gasped in awe and emotion as they whispered to themselves, ' An angel has dropped down from the skies. A goddess has walked out of her abode in the guise of a human being ' and continued to stare at Madhu and Ravi.

Ravi who still had his arm around Madhu, gently nudged her and she looked up at him and seeing his reassuring eyes and smile, nodded and turned to face his mother and friends and stopped.

They stopped for Rasaathi Ammal had walked quickly and now stood right in front of them and was staring intently into Madhu's eyes which slowly began to fill with apprehension.

Seeing Madhu's dilate in anxiety and grow larger in fear, Rasaathi Ammal hurriedly apologized, ' There is no need to worry for there is nothing to fear here in this house which in a way is your house too and has been for a long time now.'

Taking Madhu's hands in hers, Rasaathi Ammal gently kissed them and said, ' I don't know about the rest of the world who will mark this day, this moment as the time that you stepped into this house and into our lives and rightfully so. But they are wrong for you have been living amidst us from the time you and my Ravi fell in love with each other.'

Madhu's lips quivered helplessly in unspoken emotion and pain and her eyes quivered as they filled with tears of gratitude and love and she bent her head numb in both joy and sorrow.

Rasaathi Ammal welcomed her into the house, ' Come child. Step into our house and fill its emptiness and the one that is in our hearts with your love, beauty, and grace.'

Parthiban stepped forward and shyly put out his hand and greeted her, ' Hello. Do you remember me, Madhurima? I am Parthiban.'

Madhu wiped her eyes and smiled and slowly pushed his hand away, hugged him, and said, ' Hi Partha. I hope you are doing well.'

Stepping back, she looked at him and said, ' Partha, I am Madhu. Not Madhurima like you are not Parthiban.'

Then turning to Daksha who stood just a few feet away, she politely put her hand out and said, ' Hello Daksha. How are you doing?'

Daksha stared at Madhu grimly and said, ' Not good.'

Ravi and Partha hurriedly looked at each other and both of them looked up at the heavens solemnly and whispered the prayers.

Then Daksha spoke again, ' Yes, I mean it. I was not doing good but now that you are here and now that I have seen you, I am already feeling better.'

Pushing Madhu's hand away, Daksha hugged her tightly and said, ' Welcome home and please stay with Ravi and us and never leave us again.'

Madhu unable to take all their love and kindness broke down and began to cry like a child, and Ravi threw both his arms around her, kissed her head, and said, ' Welcome back Madhuji, and thank you for returning to me.'

She looked up into his eyes and heard Ravi whisper loud enough for all of them to hear his heart clearly.

' Like Jesus raising Lazarus from death, you, my angel have raised my spirit and my life back from hell and death where it has been wallowing all these years. '

His eyes shone brightly as he told her, ' My sun, my star, I know now fully the meaning of the words, heaven and hell. Thank you.'

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