070-My aquarium - Buddhism in daily life

My aquarium


Maybe some readers have noticed that I got an aquarium as a
present from the Shaolin Temple Europe. The good spirit of the
temple breeds ornamental fish there in the basement, which brings
a very calming aspect.


The aquarium is small, stands on my desk, again and again I enjoy
the hustle and bustle, the little fish are "lively like fish in
water", I enjoy their Buddha nature.


At the same time I think to myself that they probably have no
idea of the situation, simply accept their container, probably do
not doubt their fate, probably do not ponder about the "meaning
of life", certainly would not even understand that they are "my"
fish, swimming in a water tank, living in an "artificial world".
It is also not at all sure whether they "perceive" me. It is also
not clear whether they see me at all, can classify me, or simply
recognize me as a thick shadow to swim away from.


Every time I look into the aquarium I imagine that I too could be
living in some kind of container that another species has built
for me (and my fellow species), who are now in front of some kind
of glass, staring at me as I go about my work, perhaps themselves
sitting in a container again, being watched by yet another
species. This would correspond very much with the teaching of
Buddha, after all is only a dream, which it is necessary to
leave.


And the fishes themselves, what if they would also keep some kind
of pets, such as a web of algae, or small colonies of shells, or
maybe just single-celled organisms. All then in consequence
species, which think of themselves to be "unique", which do not
(can not) see the connection "outside", which do not (can not)
understand at all, how things are connected. Just as Buddha
explains the connections to us, because we just don't
"understand" them either.


Can you imagine (for a short moment) that you too are sitting in
such a cage (or aquarium)? Above us stands a species that
dominates us, allocates things to us, organizes the feeding for
us, that "invented" our entire system? A disturbing thought.
Whereas we think that we are the crown of creation (which we are
not at all). And we think that we would understand so everything,
that "our" science would have the "full view". Or what would be,
if we are only the play figures of some "spinners from the
future", just only the parts of a computer game?


Yes, if we look out of our container, but understand nothing,
what would be then?


The way is the goal!





Let the fools strive for glory, toil for vain precedence. Let
them seek vain dominion delusions, let them hunt!


- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before
the year zero





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