This morning's creakiness and muscle aches brought to mind a funny mental dilemma I had while in India recently at a silent retreat. In many Eastern religious traditions it's customary to bow in reverence at the feet of a holy man or one's Guru. Indeed, many devotional texts and chants refer to this custom:
"Think ye of thy Guru's lotus feet"
"Bow to the Guru's feet . . .
The Guru's lotus feet emanate the great Truths . . . "
After a special devotional service, the senior monastic was greeting us as we filed out of the chapel. The four of us visiting from North America were the only Westerners present. All of the Hindus were calmly bowing down in a full pronam at the monk's feet.
This created quite the dilemma for me. Since I was several people back in the line, my thoughts had plenty of time to play multiple disaster scenarios. These days getting down and up usually requires reaching for something, especially after sitting in meditation. I immediately had visions of going down to touch the monk's feet only to start grabbing wildly for support as I tried to get up, resulting in me pulling off the monk's skirt-like robe. This vision, along with my continuing manic inner dialogue, replaced whatever devotional peace I had garnered during the evening's ceremony.
Four people away. What to do? Full pronam or simply stand and bow?
Three people away. I can do it! Surely, I can get down and up without creating havoc.
Two people away. Maybe I should play it safe. He knows I'm Western and won't expect a full pronam. On the other hand, a full pronam would demonstrate my devotion and honor his service. What to do? What to do? I'm almost there.
One person away.
Then, face to face with this beautiful man.
I opt for the safety of a standing bow,
finally silencing the inane thoughts in my head.
Geez, what a way to ruin a beautiful evening of peace.
In the future, I'll stick to something I can manage, like touching statues.
For an enlightening article about the physical and metaphysical significance of touching the feet of enlightened beings please see the following link.
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