2 Important Events today

I guess I have to go back on my word to stop posting on Buddhist things and come back only next year. Looks like the Buddhas keep coming back. Hahahaha! Anyway, I have to post this.

“O-Guru Triple Gem! I seek your blessings!
Quickly, quickly… come now!
Please, please…I beg of You!”

2 things happened today that made me rejoice.

First, referring to the last paragraph of the "desperate supplication" prayer... well, today I received an important sms. Guess what? Guru is indeed coming! Hahahaha! It's a culmination of everyone who had put in their sincere prayer for this to come true. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that he'll make it to Malaysia after Singapore. :)

Second, a bird that was most likely going to die because everyone else had given up hope of rescuing it so that it could fly out of the building. It had somehow flown into a high rise building thru an opened window and could not get out. Poor thing was flying here and there and always banging into the transparent glass window. The bird could not distinguish between a glass window and an open window. Reminds me of the suffering nature of being animals. And it was only yesterday that someone told me she like to be a bird because it can fly so freely out there. "Yeah! Be a bird and see what happens now?!"

And when it sees the bright flourescent lamp, it thought it was sun light and flew into it only to find it is not what it had thought it was. It was getting desperate. After so many banging, and flying into hot flourescent lamps, its whole body and head had been hurt badly. Still, it never gave up. It persevered, but could not find a way out. It thought me some important lessons beyond just determination.

Without the guidance of Buddhas in the form of our Gurus, who can guide us "out" from out trap, no matter how much we try, without blessings from Guru-Triple Gem, nothing will come to be. There won't be any spiritual progress.

It was only when I cornered it into a "hole" where it could not escape, that I can go in and take it out with my hands. Still it thought I was a monster trying to harm it, as it fluttered desperately for its life. It didnot know I was going to rescue it. Not harm it. But after sensing it could not get out from its "hole" no matter what it tries, it stopped struggling. It's like that with spiritual struggle, I think. We stop struggling after knowing our worldly efforts are all futile without faith in the Triple Gem.

So, the bird decided to put its faith in me. I held it by the end of the body, and took it out of the "hole" and went near the window. Then at that moment before I let go of it, I thought, "If I let go of it, will the bird just drop down...maybe after so much body pain, and getting trapped in the "hole", it may have some problems flapping its wings". And so I didnot just let it off the open window of the high rise building. Instead I took it to a window with some ledge outside it, and put it there. Thankfully it didnot have any problems flying and it flew away immediately. I am sure it must be relieved. It got another chance to live. And I hope it heard the mantra I recited softly for it all the while as I was coaxing it to go near the window. The bird definitely had good karma. As for me, I have to thank the bird for being my Guru for the day. I learned another important lesson in understanding animal liberation as well as lesson on faith in the Guru. There is also the lesson of never abandoning sentient beings. If we ever hope to be Buddhas one day, that's what is expected of us to do. I was hoping to go home early today, but ended up going back late because of this bird. It took quite a while, but it's worth the wait. Don't you think so?

E MA HO! MAY ALL BE WELL AND HAPPY!