These are among the most beautiful, appealing and thought provoking words I've heard and when I think of them even today, in fact, even as I write this piece, I remember the first time I heard them and how they influenced me. And now, to go back in time ....
Have you ever been to a place that influences you so much that you decide to make an immediate change in your way of life and living? Many years ago, I had exactly such an experience, one which was so powerful and intense that I get goosebumps even as I think of it today. I was in Class 8 in Sophia Convent in Meerut when a busload of girls accompanied by three teachers and our Principal, went out on a school trip to Nepal via Bihar. En route, we first stopped stopped at Lucknow for the night then went on to Sarnath and Rajgir so that we could see these historic spots where the Buddha had lived, walked and attained enlightenment. It was a lovely and very memorable trip in more ways than one.
The photograph above is believed to be the tree in Bodh Gaya under which Prince Siddhartha Gautama meditated and attained Enlightenment on the full Moon day of 'Vaisakh Purnima.' The present version is probably the fifth succession of the original tree earlier destroyed many times by man made as well as natural calamities. The other main attraction of Bodh Gaya is the Mahabodhi temple which has been restored and rebuilt over the centuries. The Mahabodhi Temple has now been declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. It is believed that for six years Lord Buddha practiced severe asceticism thinking this would lead him to enlightenment. He sat in meditation eating only roots, leaves and fruit. and at other times nothing. Sadly, this did not take him anywhere. Then one full-moon day in May, he sat under the Bodhi tree ( above) in deep meditation and said. "I will not leave this spot until I find an end to suffering." During the night, he was visited by 'Mara', the evil one, who tried to tempt him away from his virtuous path. One by one, Gautama met the armies sent by Mara and defeated them with his steadfastness and virtue.As the struggle ended, he realized the cause of suffering and how to remove it. He had gained the most supreme wisdom and understood things as they truly are. From then on, he became the Buddha, 'The Awakened One' and was refereed to as 'Shakyamuni Buddha.'
And so to where I began my story.
That early evening, I stood under that Bodhi tree and felt something change inside me. It was almost as if I could see Lord Buddha sitting there and meditating. In my ears and possibly within me, I could hear the beautiful sounds of the words 'Buddham Sharanam Gachammi, Dhammam Sharanam Gachammi Sangham Sharanam Gachaami '.
And in those moments, something inside me changed. I felt cleansed and whole and it was a 'new' me that walked away from that tree. From that day, I turned vegetarian. I knew that Lord Buddha had said that and that was how life was going to be. I was a person who loved chicken and fish but it was over in those moments. Nothing and no one could convince me to eat it again.
Time passed and I was happy. I grew into a confident and independent girl who could tackle almost anything after that. I did well in class as well as in extra curricular activities and in my heart I firmly believed that it was all due to that particular moment in my life.
Did I ever go back to being a non vegetarian? I did, after about two and a half years. My brother Navtej was instrumental in that and how he managed it when no one else could is another story.
But you see, we all think differently at different times and stages in our lives. So right after my father's passing, ( he was a RadhaSwami and vegetarian for the better part of his life but in his later years Mummy convinced him to eat fish) I changed my food habits again and have stayed with them till today.I eat only fish in the non veg category , just like Pop and am seriously toying with the idea of quitting that too one day -sooner rather than later...
