Tale of Anguish and Anger

Today I will share with you one true story. But it is not one that was reported in the media. It happened recently. There was this 55-year-old man. I donot know him but was a cousin brother of somebody who related it to someone I know. He lived in a reasonably comfortable house with his wife and son.

But that happy comfortable life changed suddenly last year when his wife died of cancer. He was most upset. With his wife gone, he placed his hopes on his son. All his wealth and money, he willed it to his son. But then, this year his son died suddenly of heart attack. Guess how old is his son? He was only 33 years old. Yes, 33! While I donot know of his life style, 33 is a young age to die.

As he was the man's only son, and only hope left, now gone, his hopes of cuddling grandchildren during his old age are now dashed. With his wife also gone, he is without any life companion. Today he tells people whenever he is in the house, he looks at the four walls. There's no one to talk to him anymore. He does not need to wait till 2012 for the world to be destroyed. His was already destroyed!

He was very angry at the holy statue(s) in his home altar. It was not mentioned what statue it was, whether it was Buddha, Kuan Yin or which of the Chinese gods, or whether there was only one statue or more than one, but he took it and smashed it to the ground. You can just imagine his deep anguish and frustrations, he could not understand why the gods/holy beings did not bless or protect his family. He could not understand why at such old age, he had to suffer such an ordeal. He had lost his family. And all alone now. All his wealth, house (at Yeap Chor Ee Road) and whatever material possessions he has, does not have any meaning to him anymore.

If you had not felt this deep frustrations before, you will only have a vaque idea of how it is like. I must confess here I have felt it before last time. But I am in a better position than this man, for after the deep anger, there arose in me a deep desire to seriously respond to all sentient beings when I become a Bodhisattva one day. I felt some bodhicitta within me that day. I donot know about that man, but I didnot stop believing in the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. I think that man is most vulnerable to conversion to another religion.

So I leave the above story in your thoughts for today. Om Mani Padme hum.