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In Danish writer Peter Freuchen’s Book of the Eskimo, Freuchen tells how one day, after coming home hungry from an unsuccessful walrus-hunting expedition,

he found one of the successful hunters dropping off

several hundred pounds of meat.

He thanked him profusely.

The man objected indignantly:

“Up in our country, we are human!” said the hunter. “And since we are human, we help each other.

We don’t like to hear anybody say 'thanks' for that.

What I get today, you may get tomorrow.

Up here, we say that by gifts, one makes slaves, and by whips, one makes dogs.”

 

Told by: Graeber, David - Debt: The First 5,000 Years 

I PRAY FOR THIS

We are slaves of each other

 

slaves of the beauty we see

 

prisoners of the pleasure we feel

 

 

Like two ships drifting on an endless sea

 

we bumped into each other

 

while we were sleeping

 

 

I have no idea who you are

 

I have no idea of who I am

 

 

 

What can one pray for in this situation ?

 

That it go on forever?

 

That would not be trusting at all

 

That we be always happy?

 

            Who knows what feelings must enter into this play?

 

 

We are not in charge

 

We did not create this moment

 

We cannot create the future

 

Not certainly, absolutely, finally

 

 

We are slaves of another

 

living in  a universe without end

 

in a place we cannot fathom

 

 

Our hearts are heavy

 

with feelings of awesome subjection

 

 

We weep in our happiness

 

We cry in our joy

 

We sing and make up poetry

 

We dance and make love

 

 

I look at you and have faith

 

in God and Ignorance

 

Love shines in your eyes  and fills my heart

 

I love you

 

I am a slave of love

 

I pray for this

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TIBETAN WHEEL OF LIFE:  

 

 I visited Ladakh in 2016. It is the Indian part of the Tibetan Plateau, containing many of the oldest Buddhist monasteries on the Tibetan Plateau. At the entrance of every monastery, on the right-hand wall, is painted an image called the ‘Wheel of Life,’ a comprehensive summary of Buddha’s teaching in picture form made for a predominantly illiterate culture. 

 

The Wheel of Life illustrates the co-dependently (one thing always depending on another) arising, inevitable, always and only temporary, ever alternating, ‘good,’ ‘bad,’ pleasurable and painful karmas of birth and death, youth and old age, disease and health, heaven and hell. 

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The Wheel of Life illustrates the karmas (actions and destinies) of men, gods, demi-gods, demons, and animals, portraying the path of every sentient being that is bound upon this wheel. The Wheel is held in the hands of the ‘demon’ ‘Kala’ or time, a demon crowned with five skulls, representing the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) of which all and everything exists.

 

After Buddha was enlightened underneath the Bodhi tree, he thought he would not teach because what he had to say was not understood or interesting to others. In the Pali Canon, it is recorded that Buddha said:

 

“This Dharma I have realized is profound, hard to see and difficult to understand, full of peace and sublime, unattainable by mere reasoning, subtle and capable of being experienced only by the wise . . . But this generation delights in worldliness (attachment), takes delight in worldliness, and rejoices in worldliness. It is hard for such people to see this truth, namely, inevitable conditionality (everything includes its opposite) and co-dependent origination (nothing has a self-nature; it is all caused by a combination of other things; there is no 'self), and it is hard to see the truth, namely; that the stilling of all desires, the relinquishing of all attachments, the destruction of craving, dispassion, and cessation is Nirvana. If I were to teach the Dharma, others would not understand me, and that would be wearying and troublesome.

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Seeing his hesitation, the gods implored him to teach, if only for the sake of the few who might be prepared and to help others know the truth of Reality. It was only at their urging that Buddha acquiesced and began his teaching mission to ‘Turn the Wheel of the Dharma.’ 

 

His very first Teaching was 'The Four Noble Truths’ and the very first ‘Truth’: ’Life is Dukkha (suffering).’ Suffering was inevitable and inherent in this world, and without awakening to this Truth, no one would ever be interested in the Teaching of freedom from suffering. (This is why Buddha was hesitant to teach.) 

 

If one were not clear that every life was limited and all beings and things were bound to the wheel of cause and effect, a wheel held by time, that they were going to die and lose everything and everyone, then they would be primarily motivated to seek pleasure and/or fulfill their various desires. Buddha did not teach ‘Buddhism,’ for the sake of any kind of fulfillment of the 'self'; rather, he taught the transcendence of 'self.' Buddha taught that a person must first discover that the ‘Truth’ of life is inevitable suffering because only then, impressed with the suffering nature of all of existence, would they ever be moved to practice the Way. (See: The Cure of the Mustard Seed)

An Example from the Wheel of Life: 

The image above displays only the center of the Wheel of Life, which shows people rising up to the pure realms by doing good deeds, helping each other, giving to others, and practicing as monks. However, because the fruits of every action are limited, the fruits of their actions are eventually exhausted. Then, they fall from their exalted state. This is why it is called the 'Wheel of Life,’ it is always turning like a wheel where what was up turns into what is down, and what is down becomes up; on and on it goes. This is why there are Buddhas shown to the upper right and upper left of the image, indicating that the Buddha’s teaching is not merely a benign mortal teaching of how to succeed in life (on the wheel); instead, it is a Transcendental Teaching, and its Truth exists outside and beyond the Wheel of Life.

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Everything I have written is done in recognition of this Wheel. . .

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