XXX
"Ding dong!" The doorbell rings on a sunny winter morning. I go to open the door and find a man who looks to be in his 60s, and a lady, who may be around 50, standing on my front porch.
Me: Hello! What can I do for you?
He: (He leans forward) Everyday, there are so many tragedies in the world. Children are starving. People are dying. There are disasters: floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and fires. Have you ever wondered why this is happening? Ever feel angry with God?
Me: Me? No, I don't.
He: (Looking stumped) Um, um, you mean, not at all?
Me: Nope. Not at all.
He: (Exchanges a look with the lady, and then turns back at me, trying to find the right words to say) You know, crimes are everywhere, and there is so much injustice int his world. Aren't you mad at God?
Me: The crimes and injustice are deeds by people. I don't like people who do that, but it has nothing to do with God. So, no, I am not mad at God.
He: But you are angry with the natural disasters and misfortune that happens to people, right?
Me: No, I am not. The wind blows and the earth quakes because it is what nature does. I feel sad that people get hurt, but the wind does not intentionally blow over something to hit a particular person. Nor does the rain drop at a particular spot in order to drown someone. I can understand how some people may get upset, but as the saying goes, "The event is neutral; what it means is subjective interpretation." To me, it's just nature doing nature things.
He: It does not bother you at all?
I am a little perplexed because it feels like the man is trying to fan my emotions -- particularly, anger towards God! Why does he want me to be mad at God??
Me: Let me try to give an example here: A fox is preying after a bird. If the fox succeeds, the baby foxes will have dinner. They will survive. Yet, the baby birds will lose their mother and they may all die. On the other hand, if the bird escapes, it can return to care for its babies, but the fox and its babies may go hungry. One way or the other, someone will suffer. It is a tragedy for one of the two families. So, who should die?
The man and the lady are both very quiet.
Me: The truth is: yes, someone may die. Someone's good luck is based upon someone's misfortune, but it is the nature's way. It has nothing to do with whether God is being good or not.
He: Do you believe in God? Do you have a religious belief?
Me: It has nothing to do with whether I believe in God or not. I am Buddhist. I don't think in those terms.
He: Aha! So you believe in Buddha!!!
Me: (Surprised.) NO, no, no. Buddhists don't "believe in" Buddha. Buddha is not a god. He made it very clear that he is no god or deity. He was only a senior student who had figured out the path to happiness and he tried to share it with others.
He: (Looking surprised, too!) What? Budhha is not a god???
She: (Gently tucked the corner of his jacket, looking a little embarrassed) No, of course Buddha is not a god.
He: If Buddha is not even a god, why do you worship him?
Me: I just told you Buddhists do not worship Buddha. We study and follow his teachings. Instead of waiting for a superior being to step in to intervene with our lives or grant us good fortune, Buddhists learn to take charge of our lives by taking positive steps. It is true that bad things can happen, but the future is very much in your own hands. Take responsibility of your actions and be prepared to face the consequences. That is what the Buddha taught us.
(The man stands there to stare at me with mouth wide open, as if I just grew horns out of my head.)
She: You know what? The parking meter time is up. I have to go get my car. (She pulled on his sleeve.)
He: But, but, but . . .
She: C'mon. Let's go.
The lady turns around and drags the man off my porch with her.
The time on her parking meter is up? I scratch my head to ponder about where the closest parking meters are. As far as I know, we only have free street parking nearby. Where could they have parked?
I share this story with Mike, and he laughs, "Maybe that is just the code word for 'Let's get the hell out of here!'"
Ever since that incident, I keep suspecting that, somewhere on my house, maybe at some inconspicuous spot, there is a secret marking "XXX" . . .
Me: Hello! What can I do for you?
He: (He leans forward) Everyday, there are so many tragedies in the world. Children are starving. People are dying. There are disasters: floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and fires. Have you ever wondered why this is happening? Ever feel angry with God?
Me: Me? No, I don't.
He: (Looking stumped) Um, um, you mean, not at all?
Me: Nope. Not at all.
He: (Exchanges a look with the lady, and then turns back at me, trying to find the right words to say) You know, crimes are everywhere, and there is so much injustice int his world. Aren't you mad at God?
Me: The crimes and injustice are deeds by people. I don't like people who do that, but it has nothing to do with God. So, no, I am not mad at God.
He: But you are angry with the natural disasters and misfortune that happens to people, right?
Me: No, I am not. The wind blows and the earth quakes because it is what nature does. I feel sad that people get hurt, but the wind does not intentionally blow over something to hit a particular person. Nor does the rain drop at a particular spot in order to drown someone. I can understand how some people may get upset, but as the saying goes, "The event is neutral; what it means is subjective interpretation." To me, it's just nature doing nature things.
He: It does not bother you at all?
I am a little perplexed because it feels like the man is trying to fan my emotions -- particularly, anger towards God! Why does he want me to be mad at God??
Me: Let me try to give an example here: A fox is preying after a bird. If the fox succeeds, the baby foxes will have dinner. They will survive. Yet, the baby birds will lose their mother and they may all die. On the other hand, if the bird escapes, it can return to care for its babies, but the fox and its babies may go hungry. One way or the other, someone will suffer. It is a tragedy for one of the two families. So, who should die?
The man and the lady are both very quiet.
Me: The truth is: yes, someone may die. Someone's good luck is based upon someone's misfortune, but it is the nature's way. It has nothing to do with whether God is being good or not.
He: Do you believe in God? Do you have a religious belief?
Me: It has nothing to do with whether I believe in God or not. I am Buddhist. I don't think in those terms.
He: Aha! So you believe in Buddha!!!
Me: (Surprised.) NO, no, no. Buddhists don't "believe in" Buddha. Buddha is not a god. He made it very clear that he is no god or deity. He was only a senior student who had figured out the path to happiness and he tried to share it with others.
He: (Looking surprised, too!) What? Budhha is not a god???
She: (Gently tucked the corner of his jacket, looking a little embarrassed) No, of course Buddha is not a god.
He: If Buddha is not even a god, why do you worship him?
Me: I just told you Buddhists do not worship Buddha. We study and follow his teachings. Instead of waiting for a superior being to step in to intervene with our lives or grant us good fortune, Buddhists learn to take charge of our lives by taking positive steps. It is true that bad things can happen, but the future is very much in your own hands. Take responsibility of your actions and be prepared to face the consequences. That is what the Buddha taught us.
(The man stands there to stare at me with mouth wide open, as if I just grew horns out of my head.)
She: You know what? The parking meter time is up. I have to go get my car. (She pulled on his sleeve.)
He: But, but, but . . .
She: C'mon. Let's go.
The lady turns around and drags the man off my porch with her.
The time on her parking meter is up? I scratch my head to ponder about where the closest parking meters are. As far as I know, we only have free street parking nearby. Where could they have parked?
I share this story with Mike, and he laughs, "Maybe that is just the code word for 'Let's get the hell out of here!'"
Ever since that incident, I keep suspecting that, somewhere on my house, maybe at some inconspicuous spot, there is a secret marking "XXX" . . .
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