FISH FROM THE 'BIG' MARKET
I remember this couple in our village where we grew up. The lady hated to buy any stuff from the nearby 'small' market. She would always crib about the groceries, vegetables, fish, meat... everything from this market. Everything from there, for her, was either stale or sub-standard. She preferred the main, 'big' market at 'Town'. She would spend money and time to travel all the way out there and buy her 'bazaar', as she would love to call it. Her husband hated this obsession with the 'big' market. "Silly lady," she would tell us, "Even the rotten fish from this 'big' market is gold for her." Often, he would, quietly, buy fish or vegetables from the nearby market, and, at home, he would lie. As long as the stuff was from the 'big' market from the 'Town', the lady would be happy. Nothing should come from the goddamn market nearby.
We would have great fun whenever the man would narrate to us his adventures. That was over thirty years ago.
Here in Mumbai, I know one family. As most of us tend to have, I had my own biased opinion about the members of this family: The husband is a 'big mouth'... he drinks too much. The wife is illiterate, uninformed... she doesn't mix with others. The children are dumb... they don't speak good English. No matter how 'informed' and how 'smart' we are, most of us do suffer from this disease called 'bias'. At least, I do. And, I know, that it is despite my so-called exposure to so many good books, workshops, and training!
I happened to meet this 'uninformed', simple lady some weeks ago. During the brief conversation, she told me that she was returning from a camp organised by her 'Master'. I, casually, enquired about their organisation and particularly about the 'Master'. And, behold! For the next fifteen minutes, she gave me 'gyaan'. "My Master says, everything that we seek is inside us," she said with a lot of confidence. "He keeps saying, that his role is not to teach us any new truths, instead, to remind us about the truths that we have already known... but forgotten."
"How true," I echoed, "Please give me a book or a CD of your Master, if you can." I must tell you, when I said this to her, I was not honest. Though I love to read books and watch CD's on such subjects, when it came from a lady who, in my prejudiced mind, was a 'dumb lady' - my 'bloated' ego couldn't appreciate whatever wisdom the lady was sharing that evening. I was filtering whatever she was saying through my biased screen. I was judging her, throughout.
The next morning, the husband - yes, the 'big mouth' and 'drunkard', in my view - showed up at my office and handed over a Magazine and DVD of their Master. "Sir, you will surely like them," he assured me. "If you wish, you can join us with your family to watch more programmes at our place." "You know, sir," he continued, "I drink; but, let me tell you, what the Master says is something very simple yet so great."
"Thanks. I would certainly read the Magazine and watch the DVD," I told him, again, unable to accept whatever he was saying without the smoked screen.
The next day, late at night, I put the DVD on our laptop. As I began to hear this Master, I knew, I was listening to not only a great orator, but also some mind-blowing stuff. As the talk began to unfold, my wife and son, who, normally, stay away from such 'silly charlatans', pulled chairs close to mine and settled down. For the next one hour or so, we all were simply glued to the masterly presentation.
"Great!" This was the unanimous verdict.
"Who gave you this?" was the next logical question.
"Some one," I said, without revealing the identity of the family.
"But, who?" they persisted.
"Did you like it," I asked them, fully knowing they did.
"Of course; that's why we are asking you: 'Where did you get it from?' " they chorused.
"There are more DVD's, it seems. I'll try to get them," I quietly dodged their question.
The stuff was from the 'big bazaar'! I remembered the man from our village. He had taught us how to tell those 'white lies' to make even the rotten fish taste like gold. The only difference, in this case, was that, rotten was my own mind.
GERALD D'CUNHA
We would have great fun whenever the man would narrate to us his adventures. That was over thirty years ago.
Here in Mumbai, I know one family. As most of us tend to have, I had my own biased opinion about the members of this family: The husband is a 'big mouth'... he drinks too much. The wife is illiterate, uninformed... she doesn't mix with others. The children are dumb... they don't speak good English. No matter how 'informed' and how 'smart' we are, most of us do suffer from this disease called 'bias'. At least, I do. And, I know, that it is despite my so-called exposure to so many good books, workshops, and training!
I happened to meet this 'uninformed', simple lady some weeks ago. During the brief conversation, she told me that she was returning from a camp organised by her 'Master'. I, casually, enquired about their organisation and particularly about the 'Master'. And, behold! For the next fifteen minutes, she gave me 'gyaan'. "My Master says, everything that we seek is inside us," she said with a lot of confidence. "He keeps saying, that his role is not to teach us any new truths, instead, to remind us about the truths that we have already known... but forgotten."
"How true," I echoed, "Please give me a book or a CD of your Master, if you can." I must tell you, when I said this to her, I was not honest. Though I love to read books and watch CD's on such subjects, when it came from a lady who, in my prejudiced mind, was a 'dumb lady' - my 'bloated' ego couldn't appreciate whatever wisdom the lady was sharing that evening. I was filtering whatever she was saying through my biased screen. I was judging her, throughout.
The next morning, the husband - yes, the 'big mouth' and 'drunkard', in my view - showed up at my office and handed over a Magazine and DVD of their Master. "Sir, you will surely like them," he assured me. "If you wish, you can join us with your family to watch more programmes at our place." "You know, sir," he continued, "I drink; but, let me tell you, what the Master says is something very simple yet so great."
"Thanks. I would certainly read the Magazine and watch the DVD," I told him, again, unable to accept whatever he was saying without the smoked screen.
The next day, late at night, I put the DVD on our laptop. As I began to hear this Master, I knew, I was listening to not only a great orator, but also some mind-blowing stuff. As the talk began to unfold, my wife and son, who, normally, stay away from such 'silly charlatans', pulled chairs close to mine and settled down. For the next one hour or so, we all were simply glued to the masterly presentation.
"Great!" This was the unanimous verdict.
"Who gave you this?" was the next logical question.
"Some one," I said, without revealing the identity of the family.
"But, who?" they persisted.
"Did you like it," I asked them, fully knowing they did.
"Of course; that's why we are asking you: 'Where did you get it from?' " they chorused.
"There are more DVD's, it seems. I'll try to get them," I quietly dodged their question.
The stuff was from the 'big bazaar'! I remembered the man from our village. He had taught us how to tell those 'white lies' to make even the rotten fish taste like gold. The only difference, in this case, was that, rotten was my own mind.
GERALD D'CUNHA
Comments
There is something good in all human being and bad too. I felt very delighted when the person who is a drunkard gave you the magazine and the CD and invites you for his courses and at the time the feeling he would be having about his master, which is simply great.
What was there in your mind was due to seeing what is going in tht family. Now it is out of your mind. Enjoy the magzines and DVD.
Can i know the name of that family's Teacher?
Rgds,
Girish