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are not fully harmonised. Mindless action is a sign of unawareness.
Once a fly settled on the forehead of Mahatama Buddha. The mahatama's hand lifted automatically and the insect flew away. After a couple of moments, the Buddha lifted his hand deliberately and turned it as if to remove the fly. The pupils sitting near the Buddha were surprised, and one of them said, "O Lord, what is it you are doing? Right now there is no fly or mosquito here. What makes you move your hand like that?"
The Buddha smiled and said, "O pupils! I'm correcting a mistake. A moment ago, a fly came and settled upon me. I did remove it, but not consciously. I was not fully alert at the time. My mind was elsewhere, and my hand lifted mechanically to drive away the fly. After becoming conscious of my lapse, I am now rehearsing the act with full consciousness, so that the tendency to act unconsciously does not grow in future."
The pupils listened to the Buddha and understood the secret of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the element which makes an individual aware of his bad habits and evil tendencies. Thus, if an individual gets angry, he must know that he is in a state of anger. Conscious anger is never so fatal as unconscious anger. It is by being fully aware of all that happens to us, good or bad, that our instincts can be sublimated. For the upward movement of consciousness or the sublimation of instincts, the practice of mindfulness is very useful.
Q. All these five rules of initiation are very practical
- and their utility is beyond doubt. But the problem is, how is one to inculcate them in one's everyday living?
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