Here is a story just for you. It happens to be about a little girl. She could have been anyone’s child. She could have been you.
A BOUQUET OF LOVE
One bright sunny day, this little girl was picking wild flowers in a meadow. Feeling like she was the warmth of the sun, she gathered her bouquet of purple and gold brightness and ran to her father, offering him this bundle of spontaneous love. Her father saw only miserable weeds that set off his miserable hay fever. He shouted at her to get them out of the house, asking how could she be such a stupid little girl, and where was her consideration?
The little girl did not know what consideration was, so she had no idea where hers could be, and she was afraid to ask. She was sure that if she had any, she would not be stupid. She ran outside, no longer feeling like she was the warm yellow sun. Her brightness faded, she sat under a tree with her flowers, consoling them, assuring them they were in no way stupid, or else how could they be so beautiful? Then she planted each one in the earth again, telling them she was sorry she had taken them from their homes, and promised never to do so again.
The little girl pondered this event as the years passed and somewhere in the angels’ singing, since angels are always singing to little girls and big girls and people of all ages, she heard a song of wisdom: You are not the doer. The fruits of your actions belong not to you, but to God. And the little girl, who by now lived in a bigger body, hugged that song to her, and it comforted her way back to the time when her father had shouted at her and into the future when her own and other people's songs would be shouts.
As the years passed, she learned from these shouts. Sometimes people shouted loudly, sometimes silently. Deep within the angels’ whispers, she discovered that all shouts come from fear and ignorance. People were afraid to feel, so they shouted. People were afraid to tell the truth, so they shouted. People were afraid to love and be loved, so they shouted. People were afraid, so they hid behind shouts that were loud and shouts that were silent, wearing the disguises that pass for love and intimacy.
Time passed, as time has a way of doing, teaching what it teaches to those able to listen with their hearts. Time taught her to sing gentle songs, giving them away like candy. Once they were gone from her, she never looked back, knowing that gifts with strings attached were no gifts at all.
One day, when the little girl lived in a body with skin that showed the passage of many lessons learned, she found she had become the bouquet of flowers. And people came from everywhere to catch the scent of her love.
The angels will leave you to gather your own bouquet from this story, the way the little girl did. The joy of stories comes from listening with your heart. In this way, the story awakens the truth that lives inside you and that truth becomes your own.
Be kind, gentle, and compassionate with yourself. Give to yourself that which you wish others would give to you. Remember that others are only mirrors, reflections of yourself. When you treat yourself with respect, you will see this reflected in beautiful shining mirrors all around you.
Deeply moving story. Thank you beloved teacher.
ReplyDeleteThe little girl was often sad when she was shouted at for she felt very alone and unworthy of her dad' s love.
One question I have:
ReplyDeleteIn this context what does it mean "you are not the doer. The fruits of your action don't belong to you but to God."
I feel really stupid for asking.
Karenina,
ReplyDeleteYour question is not stupid and neither are you. It's a good question, and I am sure you are not the only one who has it.
'The Bhagavad-Gita' says that while you should perform your dharma—your duty—the fruits of your actions do not belong to you.
Essentially, do your duty—your dharma—without attachment. You are not the do-er. If you are attached, there’s a YOU.
For angels, it is not your work that is important; it is your attitude. This means performing all work as service to God, remembering that the fruits of your actions belong to God.
When you perform an action with EXPECTATION — then you are trying to control the outcome. You are not living in the present moment. When things go your way (the way of ego desire) you are happy…the fruits of your actions are sweet. But when things do not go the way of ego desire—the fruits are sour—and you are unhappy.
When you perform all action without attachment — surrendering the fruits to God — then you live in the present moment. If the little girl gives the flowers away — she lets go of the results. She lets go of her ego reaction of pain at her father’s outburst.
Of course, we can’t expect little children to know any of this. Adults hurt children all the time, because they, themselves, are hurt. They can only pass onto their children their own level.
The little girl is a symbol for the immature ego. Her journey into adulthood represents our own journey — into spiritual maturity. As she grows up — evolves spiritually — she comes to a higher level of understanding.
As Mother Teresa said, “I am like a little pencil in his hand. That is all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it.” When we act with this attitude, life is simpler and we suffer less because we are not attached to the outcome of our actions.
We give up thinking that we must control everything. Like the little girl in the story, we discover that the fruits of our actions, whether sweet or sour, belong not to us, but to God. There really is no “you” separate from God.
Attachment comes into play only if there is a human ego that thinks it is real and in charge. An ego has expectations. It thinks it has a will separate from God. It thinks it has the power to control the way things are and are not. It suffers when things do not go its way, and celebrates when it gets its way—on a constant roller coaster of highs and lows, the wheel of karma.
I am deeply humbled by your eloquent and elaborate response.
ReplyDeleteThese teachings really want us to stop suffering. These teachings mean well and are loving. I am deeply moved by the love of it all. Thank you.