A story to listen to.....

What lies within us that are so devastating for us as practicing Buddhists? What kind of evil that there is innate within us that it threatens the very foundation of our beliefs as a follower of a path that speaks of self-actualization?

As someone who has very little self-confidence in me and my ability to control warring principles that governs my life, I still posses the basic ability to observe one of the most devastating trait of human behavior.

In my second class, I would be talking about the three poisons that are always so strongly suggested by most religious leaders. The concept used across cultures and school of though might have certain degrees of variation. Yet, it is important for us to realize the very quintessential aspects of the "poisons" and relates to them to our daily endeavors.

Before I start, let me share with you about a true story that I witnessed with my very own eyes.

The story started off with a broken, dirty bicycle that was put beside a swing in a neighborhood playground. The bicycle was in a very bad condition with its rusty handle bars and broken paddles. It stayed motionless at its own place in the playground, surrounded with busy households and indifferent joggers. No one paid any attention to the dirty, pink bicycle, no one but a little young boy, who just moved into the neighborhood a few months ago.

Philosophers such as Locke once said that man exist on the world with only himself and nothing else to be owned as his property. However, as man progress, he utilizes the resources available to him and starts to claim the fruit of labor as his own, complete with the right to govern possessed item as long as it is not abused for evil inclinations. For the boy, Locke might just be any old geezer sitting by the roadside mamak stall, taking delight in a puff of nicely wrapped tobacco leaves. He might not know the therioes of locke, but he unknowingly serves as an example of Locke’s idea.

Like pirates attracted to stories of buried treasurers and attractive mermaids on an abandoned island, the boy saw the broken bicycle as a treasure. He cleaned it up, brush away dusts from the wheels and began to happily ride the bicycle every evening at the small park, situated right behind his apartment. Eventually, he claims the bicycle as his and his solely.

One day, his family decided to organize a outdoor birthday party for the boy who was looking forward to celebrate his first overseas birthday. As the guests and family were indulging themselves in the sweet charms of home made delicacies, the boy saw a sight that horrified him. His anxiety and surprise soon transformed to rage.

The boy clenched his small fist and ran wildly at the direction of a little girl in pink. The girl was riding a bicycle-the same bicycle that the boy claim was his.
Without warning, the boy pushed the girl off the bicycle and started riding on it. There was an unmistaken look of pride and joy projected on the way his eyes and lips correlates with one another .The girl, on the other hand, ignoring her bruised ,dirty hands and knees, chased after the bicycle.

Soon, thing turned ugly when parents of both children confronted each other and the boy’s parent apologetically return the bicycle back to the girl who claims that the bicycle was hers.

The boy threw a tantrum, like most boy do. He yelled hysterically. He was throwing his fist madly into the air. His eyes were watery with an uneasy gleam from his eyes. The mood of the party was spoiled as the embarrassed parents of the boy were forced to comfort their crying child.

“Get him a new one,” a guest suggested.

“No, no. You should discipline a child since young,” another voice was heard.
Not before long the guests were immersed in the excitement of sharing opinions on child education, nobody took notice the action of the boy. The boy sat silently on a bench, bidding his time for a mischievous plan of him. He waited and waited and finally he saw his chance. He stood up from his seat and started running towards a concealed view of the park.

While the party was still on, with the gaiety of a weekend evening enjoyed by all, nobody realized the figure of a boy who was trying to hide a pink bicycle underneath the bushes in front of his house. The pink bicycle that was his pride and joy.
Food for thought:

The Three Poisons or three basic afflictions is said to be the reason why certain practices are considered to be negative or immoral, according to the standards of Buddhism. These three basic afflictions, tridosa in Sanskrit, encompass basic human vices such as:
• Greed/avarice/attraction
• Anger/hatred/aversion
• Foolishness/ignorance/delusion

Contrary to laymen belief that greediness is only limited to personal physical satisfaction, I beg to differ by referring greed as the extreme manifestation of desire and attachment. Our motives and behavior are sometimes guided by what we expect to see after efforts are being invested. We are lost in calculating the amount of desire that we have to fulfill in a given period of time.

We make enemies while we are busy focusing on competitions with others. We are bitter and angry when we lose. Rage and jealousy are like poison running through our veins when comparisons are being made.

We are oblivious of the law of nature that determines the way we should continue life. Our judgment s is often influenced by desires and the urgency to release tension stored inside our bosom. We believe what we wanted to hear without any examining or studying the possibilities in life. Like the boy, we seek to strike our enemies during their moments of weakness .We adamantly defend our beliefs as long as it doesn’t challenge our access to pleasure and hedonistic sensation. We started to stray way from what is really important in life, in exchange for abused freedom and self-oriented decision makings.

Should we really continue life this? Like the boy mentioned above? Selfish, arrogant and aggressive? Go figure.