About a year and a half ago, I met a Caucasian lady at a meeting.
Everyone at the meeting was in awe of her capabilities.
Honestly, I too, thought she must be pretty good since the 3 masters who were there were very impressed and full of praise for her.
We went for lunch.
After lunch, while everyone was sitting around chit chatting, she asked to sit next to me. And, started a conversation.
"I believe God created mosquitoes for the purpose of balancing the human population," she said.
Curious, I asked her why she said that.
She replied that with just a sting, mosquitoes can spread diseases like malaria and dengue etc, killing people.
"But I thought mosquitoes are only carriers, right? Unless they bite a person infected with the disease, then they can spread it to the next person, no?" I asked.
"No, mosquitoes are the ones that kill. So many people have died because of them," was her reply.
"Perhaps it's meant to be," I said.
"No, it's the mosquitoes. So many of my friends and family were bitten by mosquitoes and I've visited them in the hospitals and see them suffering. I even lost a few of them. All because of the mosquitoes," she said, with bitterness and indignation in her voice.
Sensing her increasing agitation and rising tension between us, I decided to douse the flaming anger and resentment (for mosquitoes) with a little loving-kindness.
So, I asked her, "Which comes first : Chicken or Egg?"
"Egg" she replied without hesitation.
"Without the chicken, how did the egg come about?" I asked.
She looked at me, stumped.
And quickly replied, "Then chicken."
I smiled and said again, "But without the egg, how did the chicken come about?"
She stared at me, dumbfounded.
Seeing that I have her full concentration and awareness now, I continued.
"Perhaps there's a purpose for mosquitoes. But maybe it's not to kill. Just like the knife. I'm sure when they first invented the knife, it was not meant to harm or kill. But over time, things changed. Evolve. People abused it. But don't you have more important things in your life to worry about, than to worry and think about the purpose of mosquitoes?"
How often is it that we get hot and bothered about the insubstantial things and trivialities of life, when there are more important and pressing things which we should be concerned about -
Such as, Freedom from the cycle of samsara (death and rebirth) before death comes knocking on our doors.
"You talk much, you get blame.
You talk little, you get blame
You keep quiet, you also get blame.
There's no one in this world who doesn't get blame." (Even the mosquitoes! :) )
- The Buddha
"Anger can never dispel anger,
Hate can never dispel hate.
Only Love can dispel anger,
Only Love can dispel hate.
- The Buddha
"One who checks rising anger is like a skillful charioteer who handles a chariot gone out of control. Others are like those who merely hold the reins."
- The Buddha
