MARCH NEWSLETTER

CONSCIENCE OR CONVENTION?

I just returned from a trip to SE Asia with Dr. Thynn, a Burmese dhamma teacher, and three of her students. There are many stories from that adventure washing through me now. Many of the stories are still being sorted and are without any conclusion. Some other stories seemed to present themselves in a whole, finished form even as they were unfolding. I would like to share with you one such story which keeps playing in my heart.

My comrades and I were sitting out in the dusty Burmese heat after dinner. There were about 10 people from the village with us, talking, cleaning the dishes and watching us. I looked down at my feet and saw a tiny infant puppy. You could see his ribs as he frantically sniffed around the dry barren ground for a scrap of something to eat. I had seen dogs like this all around the village. The Burmese villagers are not like Americans in relation to dogs. The dogs are perceived as nuisances, wild and not of much use. I have always been a dog lover. When other girls were dreaming of horses I had a chart of dog breeds on my wall and knew every breed. I sat watching this wild puppy who had been abandoned by its mother knowing that in a couple of days he would be dead from starvation. Before me was the question, do I follow the convention of the people who are my generous hosts, out of respect for them, or do I follow my conscience and go against convention? The story of the Buddha and the swan kept running through my mind.

One day the young Gautama Buddha was walking through the woods with his cousin Devadatta. Devadatta, seeing a swan fly overhead, took aim and shot it. The boys ran to where the bird had fallen and saw that the swan was still alive. Gautama carefully took the arrow out of the swan and squeezed the juice from nearby plants onto the wound to stop the bleeding all the while calming the frightened bird. Devadatta proclaimed that the swan belonged to him. Gautama replied that if he had killed the bird it would have been his but since it was only wounded the life of the swan belonged to the one who saved it. The boys put the argument before a court of wise men with the verdict being that a life must belong to the one who tries to save it.

This power to save the life of an innocent animal was put before me in the village, knowing full well that once I saved this puppies life I took on a responsibility to maintain that life. I took the leap into that responsibility. The local villages pointed and laughed at me as I held the puppy but my fellow travelers quietly got on board with the decision. Before I knew it Roger was waking up and offering the crying puppy jaggery, a sugary candy, to appease its hunger, Jan was supplying the puppy with turkey jerky and letting the little charge sleep peacefully on her lap. Even our teacher Dr. Thynn was talking sweetly to the puppy. Slowly the village children, now given permission by the actions of the Westerners, began to play with the puppy. We taught by example how to play gently and hold the puppy tenderly. Knowing I would not be able to bring this puppy home with me I paid a family to "foster" the puppy for me. I did all I could to assure its future existence and left the village with a clear conscience. I know that if I had ignored my heart and let the puppy die it would haunt me still.

There are so many times in a life when we are called by our heart to a certain action which runs contrary to convention. We all need a yardstick of personal values to help us decide the highest action in these situations. For me that yardstick is compassion. A sentient life is always more important than convention, than correctness, than politeness. Kindness always trumps niceness even if kindness is uncomfortable or yields the sword of Kali in its actions. I would rather see one act of kindness than 10,000 pagodas. I would rather make an offering of food to a hungry mother than to a statue of gold and jewels. For me, offering sustenance to a sentient being is the same a bowing before the Buddha. In doing so I am bowing deeply before the Buddha nature in the one who is before me.

May all beings be safe,

may all beings be healthy,

may all beings be happy,

may all beings be free.

Jacqueline