Every meal is part of a bheeksha. Be humble. Be happy that you got some food at least.
Bharat Bhushan - 14 February 2009
We get angry when we do not get food on time. We get angry when we do not get food to our liking. We get upset and irritated when the taste is just not right, the food is not warm, the colours are not correct or the arrangements are not up to our liking. What we do not realise is that at least, we ARE getting food, brought to us, and all we need to do is to eat it. I am not referring to the millions of poor starving people around the world who do not get food to eat. That is the obvious fact.
I am referring to the time that is to come in our own lives, when we cannot eat the food we would like to eat. We would not be allowed to eat sugar. Not allowed to eat deep fried food. Not allowed to eat sour, sweet, hot, tangy, spicy, salty, oily or gluten food. We will not be allowed to eat white bread, because it is bad for you, or not allowed to eat brown bread, because all wheat is bad for you. We cannot eat rice, because it is just not right, and we cannot eat fermented food because it is simply not the correct food for us.
So, be happy when you do get food, and someone has cooked it for you, even if it is cooked yesterday, or in the morning, and it comprises of just leftovers. Be happy and stuff your anger and cook in inside of you, and dump it somewhere. Forget your ego. You are nobody. You are of no value in this world, and getting angry about it all is of no worth at all. Who cares about your anger or your ego and if you did get food or did not get food in time? Who is upset in this world if the food that you got is tasty or not. You are an absolutely good for nothing human being in this world, and you should be grateful to the gods that you are at least being given some food to eat.
The best of humans have been bheekshus. They have become famous and have been followed for their values because they achieved victory over their temptation for food and became humble with the food that they received. Shirdi Sai Baba is certainly one of them. He went about from house to house with a bheekshu's bowl and gladly accepted whatever was given to him. In his earlier years at Shirdi, he was not given much, but later, most Shirdi dwellers were counting their blessings that they had been allowed to give bheeksha to Sai Baba.
He was a simple fakir and he was accepted by one and all because of his minimalist values and his ethics. He lived in a simple manner and yet, brought about a simple revolution by creating the langar at Shirdi. This common kitchen brought everyone together. Recently, an innovative forest officer told me of how he had established a successful common kitchen, only for his successor to have closed it upon his transfer. Imagine, what if Sai Baba's langar would have been closed down by his chosen disciples.
We live by our ego and we live by our inability to fight over our hunger. Would we accept what would be given to us in a bheekshu's bowl? Would we gladly have eaten up the unknown food? We cannot. Because, we think we have arrived. We think we have achieved so many good levels in life and that we deserve to eat good food, all our lives. There may come a time, when we would be drip-fed with liquid medicines and food juices. What would be the usefulness of all our achievements at that time in life? It would be best for us to conquer hunger and anger at this time, in our lives, than to lose all that we have at that moment when we think that we have become victorious.
There are several tales of inspiration in this regard. There is one famous tale of the Most Enlightened One explaining that he would not hesitate to eat non-vegetarian food, including stale meat, if it were to be part of the mixed food that he would get as bheeksha, for that is what was meant to come to him in his Circle of Life, and so be it. And, it is said that it was thus that he moved on to the greater temples above, for it was stale and contaminated food that brought him to that pass. Should I hesitate or refuse if I am given stale food? Do I have that right? Is it not biological matter that comprised of life at some earlier moment and that it was part of the living universe? Do I have the right to refuse to eat the food, even if it were to be stale or contaminated?
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It is said that the very act of having any amount of cooked or uncooked food is to be able to count your own blessings. The gods above are happy that I could purchase food items, and the gods are glad with us, that our family could cook our food and be able to eat. This is the very aspect of Goddess Annapurna in Hindu thought, that to be able to have food in one's house, is to be blessed by the deity. Even Lord Shiva had to go to her, with his bheekshu's bowl and seek food as alms from Goddess Annapurna. There is that famous mythological tale of Lord Krishna walking in to a distraught Draupadi's cottage during their exile in the forests, when she did not have any food items or cooked food to satisfy the hunger of Sage Durvasa and his hundreds of disciples.
Let us be humble with the food that we get. We are but only bheekshus in our lives. We should accept the food that we get and say a prayer, and say thanks, and eat our share.
Bharat Bhushan - 14 February 2009
We get angry when we do not get food on time. We get angry when we do not get food to our liking. We get upset and irritated when the taste is just not right, the food is not warm, the colours are not correct or the arrangements are not up to our liking. What we do not realise is that at least, we ARE getting food, brought to us, and all we need to do is to eat it. I am not referring to the millions of poor starving people around the world who do not get food to eat. That is the obvious fact.
I am referring to the time that is to come in our own lives, when we cannot eat the food we would like to eat. We would not be allowed to eat sugar. Not allowed to eat deep fried food. Not allowed to eat sour, sweet, hot, tangy, spicy, salty, oily or gluten food. We will not be allowed to eat white bread, because it is bad for you, or not allowed to eat brown bread, because all wheat is bad for you. We cannot eat rice, because it is just not right, and we cannot eat fermented food because it is simply not the correct food for us.
So, be happy when you do get food, and someone has cooked it for you, even if it is cooked yesterday, or in the morning, and it comprises of just leftovers. Be happy and stuff your anger and cook in inside of you, and dump it somewhere. Forget your ego. You are nobody. You are of no value in this world, and getting angry about it all is of no worth at all. Who cares about your anger or your ego and if you did get food or did not get food in time? Who is upset in this world if the food that you got is tasty or not. You are an absolutely good for nothing human being in this world, and you should be grateful to the gods that you are at least being given some food to eat.
Sai Baba of Shirdi on his bheeksha rounds
[Copyright not known. Please inform.]
The best of humans have been bheekshus. They have become famous and have been followed for their values because they achieved victory over their temptation for food and became humble with the food that they received. Shirdi Sai Baba is certainly one of them. He went about from house to house with a bheekshu's bowl and gladly accepted whatever was given to him. In his earlier years at Shirdi, he was not given much, but later, most Shirdi dwellers were counting their blessings that they had been allowed to give bheeksha to Sai Baba.
He was a simple fakir and he was accepted by one and all because of his minimalist values and his ethics. He lived in a simple manner and yet, brought about a simple revolution by creating the langar at Shirdi. This common kitchen brought everyone together. Recently, an innovative forest officer told me of how he had established a successful common kitchen, only for his successor to have closed it upon his transfer. Imagine, what if Sai Baba's langar would have been closed down by his chosen disciples.
Sai Baba of Shirdi on his bheeksha route.
[Copyright unknown. Please inform.]
We live by our ego and we live by our inability to fight over our hunger. Would we accept what would be given to us in a bheekshu's bowl? Would we gladly have eaten up the unknown food? We cannot. Because, we think we have arrived. We think we have achieved so many good levels in life and that we deserve to eat good food, all our lives. There may come a time, when we would be drip-fed with liquid medicines and food juices. What would be the usefulness of all our achievements at that time in life? It would be best for us to conquer hunger and anger at this time, in our lives, than to lose all that we have at that moment when we think that we have become victorious.
There are several tales of inspiration in this regard. There is one famous tale of the Most Enlightened One explaining that he would not hesitate to eat non-vegetarian food, including stale meat, if it were to be part of the mixed food that he would get as bheeksha, for that is what was meant to come to him in his Circle of Life, and so be it. And, it is said that it was thus that he moved on to the greater temples above, for it was stale and contaminated food that brought him to that pass. Should I hesitate or refuse if I am given stale food? Do I have that right? Is it not biological matter that comprised of life at some earlier moment and that it was part of the living universe? Do I have the right to refuse to eat the food, even if it were to be stale or contaminated?
Lord Shiva receiving bheeksha from Goddess Annapurna
[Copyright unknown. Please inform.]
It is said that the very act of having any amount of cooked or uncooked food is to be able to count your own blessings. The gods above are happy that I could purchase food items, and the gods are glad with us, that our family could cook our food and be able to eat. This is the very aspect of Goddess Annapurna in Hindu thought, that to be able to have food in one's house, is to be blessed by the deity. Even Lord Shiva had to go to her, with his bheekshu's bowl and seek food as alms from Goddess Annapurna. There is that famous mythological tale of Lord Krishna walking in to a distraught Draupadi's cottage during their exile in the forests, when she did not have any food items or cooked food to satisfy the hunger of Sage Durvasa and his hundreds of disciples.
Let us be humble with the food that we get. We are but only bheekshus in our lives. We should accept the food that we get and say a prayer, and say thanks, and eat our share.
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