Anand was getting perturbed by Buddha’s strange, repetitive action. He found it not only unusual but a little discomforting. That’s when Buddha did it again. He waved his hand in a slow, measured manner, as if he were waving away a fly. On the face of it, Buddha’s action seemed normal, barring the fact that there was no fly around.
Anand was no ordinary disciple. He was a relative who knew Buddha even before the latter attained Buddhahood. As a disciple, Anand followed his master almost as a shadow and observed everything he did and said. He was testimony to innumerable events in Buddha’s life, and each one was potent enough to teach a lesson and shed light on his spiritual journey. Yet this action baffled Anand. He had not seen Buddha act in such a bizarre manner before. Was there a lesson in this? Anand wondered. He was about to dismiss it when Buddha repeated his action.
‘Not only is your action bewildering, but it’s rather unsettling,’ Anand couldn’t control his curiosity. ‘Why wave your hand in the air as if shooing away a fly when there’s none around? The fly that sat on your shoulder has long since flown away. As a matter of fact, you had, at that time, waved it away.’
‘I agree. But there was something amiss during the first time,’ Buddha replied. ‘It was a reflex action without my being aware of it, completely contrary to what I profess. So what you’re witnessing now is meditation in practice. I’m performing an action with complete awareness… aware that there’s a fly sitting… aware that my hand is raised and moves in a particular path to wave away…’
While Anand tried to comprehend the profundity of Buddha’s words, the latter added further: ‘Anand, in this little exercise—that seems odd to you—lies my teaching. That we must perform each action with complete awareness.’
It’s a magnificent example of living one’s philosophy. Our actions are mostly reflex reactions, without our being aware of them. This incident from Sakyamuni Buddha’s life throws light on our actions to help us analyse them. May it usher in complete awareness in every single act of ours.
Rajessh M. Iyer is a storyteller who explores human relationships through meaningful anecdotes, parables, and stories; he shares his work on www.rajesshmiyer.com.