2011, Doha (Qatar), Although 8 months old in ERP Consulting I was yet to learn my ways of client handling. And it was rattling, to say the least. This was my first onsite assignment and I came across the challenges of a new entrant into the league. One day it got to the point where I lost my motivation and gave up to the trying circumstances to the point where I cried my heart out on my arrival to my dwelling. I felt an urge to look up towards the bedside table where there was a tiny statue of meditating baby Buddha. I looked around, quickly confirmed in my mind I was in an Arabic territory, validated presence of a mosque at 30 feet from my residence and a statue of Buddha? Here? I quickly dismissed the idea of its paranormal appearance and theorized that an earlier occupant might have left this behind, taking a quick mental note of getting myself checked for my eye-sight asap.
I kept my gaze fixed on this little thing. I can’t recall if it was clay or stone. All I remember now is that it instilled a deep sense of tranquility in me. For a moment I wasn’t in pain anymore. I wasn’t feeling subdued or dejected or anything! Its proximity provided me with comfort and acceptance which was probably what I was seeking outside and failed to procure.
Days passed, I was learning the tricks of the trade, situation improved and yet as soon as I was home I used to run to my little Buddha in search of the quiet. It became sort of my private contemplation retreat without which composing myself felt like tad bit tough.
2018, Present Day, I am often reminded of that little Buddha whenever I come across figurines of similar nature. In retrospect, I tend to think why I gravitated to that little idol. What was there in it? It was mere clay or metal or wood. Was I projecting my own emotional void on that carving? Is it possible that I was searching for an entity which would extend me a non-judgmental aura? Provide me an acceptance for who I was, with all my capabilities and incapacities? Probably. And who better than an unprejudiced tiny smiling deity. We often look for soothing spaces, people and food to nurse our battered souls in trying times. But do we really need these? What would happen in the lack of these? When you don’t have that friend available or a seclusion that you yearn to tend to your wounds, what would you do then? In moments like these and otherwise, Be your own Buddha!
Be Your Own Buddha!
We have always relied on an external factor to salvage us from anything which appears unpleasant or discomforting to our state of being. That is how we have been raised. We have always been told the solution lies outside. But no! A Big No! We have been conditioned to think that we need someone to rescue us. All (we) you need is YOU. But what kind? An Equipped One. An Elevated One and an Enlightened One.
Equip
Be Equipped with lots of acceptance and affection for yourself. Making mistake is inevitable. Feeling guilty about it, shouldn’t be. Be capable of reasoning with yourself regarding an issue. Remember, a positive self-talk is just as powerful as is a negative one. Also, do not let the problem existing outside shudder your inner balance. Keep it soundly guarded and strongly protected by your resilience.
Elevate
When we are entrapped in troubles we get so absorbed with the aspects of the set back that it blinds our ability to see the solution. Elevate yourself! Detach yourself from the issue and give it a third person perspective. It will not only release you from the bondage of the complex knots of the situation but also give you a fresh angle to evaluate the situation.
Enlighten
Realize, that this is not going to be there forever. Assess, what is the kind of impact this challenge will have on you 5 years down the line? Assess it and recalibrate the amount of anxiety you would really want to associate with the issue. By saying the above, I by no means intend to challenge the gravity of turmoil we all face. But it wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I assert that lots of us have lost our sleep, over petty issues. Be Enlightened enough to separate imperative from inconsequential! That’s the You, You need!
I left my little Buddha where I found it with the intention that it could serve another weather-beaten soul as it served me. But not every apartment has it. If in case you do not find it anywhere, please know in your heart you are your own contemplation retreat. You are your own Buddha, but the next best thing could be being someone else’s too.
