I came across a wonderful modern story of Mullah Nasruddin , told by Jack Kornfield in his book, A Path With Heart. Mullah Nasruddin is a fictional Sufi character who lived in ancient Persia, probably around the 13th century. He is known as the fool, although all his stories have a bite of wisdom that cannot be ignored. It seems that this delicious wise fool pops up in stories in many cultures, both ancient and contemporary.
Mullah Nasruddin riding backwards on a donkey
In this modern story, Mullah Nasruddin goes to a bank to cash a cheque. The teller asks him for identification. Without a pause, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small mirror. Looking into the mirror he exclaims with certainty; Yes, this is me!
Think of all the ways we become identified. We have official papers galore: a birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, debit and credit cards, even library cards. And then there are passwords for everything from our bank account to numerous on-line websites we try to enter. Does any of that tell us who we are?
Then we have roles. For every relative, there is an expecgtationattached. I am Jewish, Canadian and American, a psychotherapist, a teacher, a writer, a friend, a meditator; once upon a time I was a hippie, now I’m almost retired. I was once the owner of a house, now I’m a renter. I was healthy, I was sick, now I’m healthy again. And round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows.
Does any of that say who I am? How simple to be a fool and look into a mirror; yup, I see me. Isn’t that really the essence of becoming mindful; recognizing oneself at this moment and being at peace with what we see? We can’t change the image in the mirror, nor can we really define it. It is what it is. But we can look at this reflection with loving kindness, and accept it with grace.
You have probably seen the movie, Avatar. The inhabitants of the beautiful planet Pandora greet each other by saying: I see you. They’re not talking about a visual image, but of looking into the other’s heart and soul. I like that. Maybe for us Earthlings, we could greet each other by pulling out pocket mirrors and say: I see me. I have a feeling that if we each did that honestly, simply and imbued with heart, the rest of the relationship would take care of itself. If we don’t need to struggle with ourselves, why would we waste energy struggling with anyone else?
I think I’m going to turn in all my identification cards in my wallet for a small mirror. I suppose there are worse things than being a fool, as long as it is a wise compassionate one.
Vancouver Island Meditation 