The Rascal and the Saint
Few people had the courage to remain with Chuang Tzu. He was always creating embarrassing situations; saints were not supposed to do such things. For example, he was seen one day in the capital riding on a donkey with his disciples following him. The whole town was laughing - people were gathered on both sides of the road - because he was not sitting the right way on the donkey. The donkey was going forward and Chuang Tze was sitting backward facing his disciples!
The townspeople were laughing and the disciples were embarrassed. Finally one disciple said 'why are you doing this? You are making a fool out of yourself, and along with you we are being ridiculed with you unnecessarily. People think we are idiots!'
Chuang Tzu said, 'There is something great implied in it - I have thought it over. If I sit the way people normally sit on donkeys, then my back will be facing you, and that is insulting. I don't want to insult anyone, not even my own disciples. The other possibility is that you walk in front of me - and that is not right either, this would be the disciples insulting the master, and that is not right either. So this is the solution that I have found. Let the fools laugh - but you are facing me and I am facing you and that is how a master and a disciple should be, I am respectful toward you and you are respectful toward me, and the donkey has no objection - so why should we bother about what some people think?'
Now this kind of man is rare and unique and perhaps difficult to find. He attained the highest clarity, consciousness, love, compassion and he remained cheeky and a rascal with playfulness until the very end.
Placing our hands together at the centre of our chest in Namaste mudra or the position of Namaste / Namaskaram brings this sense of respect - or the meeting of two - the sun and the moon, the master and the disciple, night and day the two polarities meet each other. If you become sensitive enough you can feel the vital life force merging or transmitting between the two. I make this gesture to all life forms, to every living being, tree, frog, human, bird and blade of grass - every drop of water - you are life of joyful life - life of divine consciousness. I honor the light that is within you that is the same within me, I honor the universe that is within you that is the same within me, together we are one.
Have joyful days of practice and awareness of all life that exists around you and feel yourself in respect for everything
love life, love the planet, love yourself
Namaste - I honor and salute you as I honor and salute myself
Om Namah Sivaya
Mangala / Nicky
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