“If we practice looking deeply we see that our notion of happiness may be responsible for our suffering. That is why the Buddha advises us to look again deeply into the nature of our desires. We suffer just because of them.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, Under the Banyan Tree.
I was bestowed upon the title of a banyan tree today. I do not know if the title bestower considers himself as the seed or sapling that is trying to germinate and grow. Also, I do not know what is the point that the title bestower is trying to make. Let me try to make an attempt to understand what the title bestower is trying to communicate.
Let us, for the sake of this conversation, believe
that I am a tree. Traversing back in time, I recall, I was brought to this
place as a mid-sized plant. I was planted and expected to grow with time and
deliver results of blooming and fruition. Whether I grew strong or not, only time and the people who saw me can say. I tried my level best to utilize
all the resources and opportunities to nourish my embodied self and my
surroundings. With time I saw new saplings around me, of the same species. I
was under the impression that together we are meeting the expectations of
blooming and fruition. As an older plant would sway and glance at the younger
plants, with affection and pride, I thought I was doing the same. Little did I
know that the thought process of the younger plants is different than mine and
it is called generation gap. I recall, together we saw different kinds
of times. Time when the younger plants were checked if they were fit enough to
stay in the piece of land where they were planted. Time when sun shone bright
and we would rejoice in the fresh air. Time when the land dried up and we had
to struggle to nourish ourselves. Time when dark clouds loomed over us indicating rain
and thunder. Time when strong winds blew making us shudder with fright of
uprooting. We withstood the stormy times and blazing summers too. Where and
when required, I found myself bending here and there to cast shade on the
younger plants, so that they can feel secured. I thought we were happy in our
own small piece of land, enjoying the democracy and unison. The often-heard comments
from the passers-by – “What a cute little patch of plants, all happy and gay”
– did make us feel proud. I place an emphasis on “us”, because I
genuinely believed in us. It was never me for me. It was
always them first and then me. Owners of the land
changed. Gardeners came and went. But I always maintained that special bond
with all gardeners. Always boasted about the dynamism and energy of the younger
plants and took pride in their majestically pleasing disposition. Birds of
various kinds devoured on our fruit, but seldom had we heard the birds coo away
angrily. Oft times the birds came back to make friends with us. However be the
time, good, bad or worse, we did not stop offering our fruit to anybody. For me
the bottom line is always – a tree laden with fruits always remains humble
and so also its roots grow stronger and deeper with time. Little did I know
that the younger plants wished to be replanted elsewhere. How would I know? And
what could I do, even if I came to know their thoughts and wishes. Just like
them I was also brought and planted here. It is just that I was planted before
them and I was already a mid-grown tree when I was brought here for planting.
Once again I bring in here my concepts of Circle of Control, Circle of
Influence and Circle of Concern, that I often advise about to my near and dear.
I am questioning myself – can I control the people and situations? Can I influence
the people and situations? Do the people and situations concern me? If yes, in
what way? I am trying to answer them one by one with a NO for the answer. I can
exercise all my might for controlling, influencing myself and being concerned
only with myself but not for or about anybody else.
Coming back to the bestowing of the title of banyan
tree – the point that the bestower of the title is trying make gets rendered as
invalid. For one, if I am considered a banyan tree – “the growth-stopper of
young trees”, the possibility of any seedling germinating on the ground under
the banyan tree or in its vicinity is a near-zero; even if it does, it is
unlikely to survive, forget about stunting its growth. The younger plants were
brought here as young tender saplings. They are not the seedlings that fell off
the banyan fruit. Secondly, keeping up with the concept of being a tree, I
would consider myself as a moringa tree and not a banyan tree, for obvious
reasons. Let us quickly look up - “Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing,
drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to the Indian
subcontinent. The moringa tree is grown mainly in semiarid, tropical, and
subtropical areas… Moringa is a sun- and heat-loving plant, and does not
tolerate freezing or frost. Moringa is particularly suitable for dry regions,
as it can be grown using rainwater without expensive irrigation techniques.” [Source: Wikipedia]. It can be cultivated for its
leaves, seed pods, fruit pods for edible reasons, and its kernels for oil
extraction and water purification. Besides, moringa trees have been used to
combat malnutrition, especially among infants and nursing mothers. Let us now
draw parallels. I firmly believe that I have and will continue to thrive in dry,
arid and semi-arid conditions. Not only have I always pushed my domain-specific
boundaries afar to serve better but many times pushed through those boundaries
to serve in areas other than my own with equal ease and expertise. And I
continue to do that. So I will stand tall like a moringa tree. By virtue of
being a librarian I proudly brand myself as moringa because I help
combat the malnutrition of knowledge, especially among students (infants) and
teachers (nursing mothers). I am glad that I am a librarian. A moringa
tree. And a moringa tree never behaves like a banyan tree. It cannot, even if
it wants to. Therefore, it is time to realize for the younger plants that they are
all independent in their own fate. They can continue to grow where they are or adorn
another garden, choice is entirely theirs. Neither the roots of the trees in a
patch nor their branches interfere or intertwine among each other. Every tree
is independent in its own might.
May wisdom prevail on you and peace be with you!
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