Enlightenment Lite

Posted on by boomermuse

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enlightenment Lite

 

August 31, 2008 3 Comments

 

Quote de jour.

“When the flower blooms, the bees come uninvited.”

 

~Ramakrishna

 

 

 

Is it wise to be funny? Sure, look at the Dalai Lama or the hugging guru, Amma. They crack more jokes than Woody Allen. Do you think it’s an accident that images of the Buddha are often found laughing? I think not.

In fact, I’d be suspicious of any teacher or guru who doesn’t have a sense of humor. Laughter opens our hearts. It then allows joy, love and healing to move in. Just last night, a friend Skyped me from London. She asked for my advice on the significance of a bee tapping on her window. It seemed determined to get inside and sure enough, it found a crack in the window. My friend scooped him up, not wanting to harm him and placed him outside. He found his way back inside, twice. After the third removal she wondered why this kept happening and how to stop it.

I could have mentioned the Native Indian belief that bees, the hard working pollinators of plants are symbols of service and the inter-connectedness of all things. Perhaps the bee was her animal totem or spirit guide. I could have also have said the buzzing bee was a metaphor to taste the sweetness of life or help her focus her energy on one task at a time. The bee line to her could signal a productive new direction.
I simply said, “Get the crack fixed.”

She roared with laughter at the realization. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar or a bee is just a bee.

happy Buddha