Temple of Accumulated Error

Aug 2, 2005

My friend Wavy Gravy has a great line for his introduction: "I am a temple of accumulated error."

Our physical body is, quite literally, the keeper of all our suffering and wisdom. Unfortunately, we are like the beggar who sat on a box everyday to beg for spare change without realizing that his box is filled with gold. Instead of looking within, we keep extending our hands and hearts outside for a little piece of that happiness; and instead of glowing under the fountain of boundless joy, we drown in the sorrows of rejection and dis-satisfaction, as beggars for our senses.

It takes effort to churn through the accumulated errors, but sooner or later, we are bound to get a glimpse of our templehood.

In the ever flowing rivers of our pure consciousness, we have ignorantly created icicles of rigid tension. Icicles are pointy edges that block our own vibrant flow and unnecessarily hurt others around us. The only thing left to do, then, is to melt our own icicles, become nimble, and return to innocence.

Whether you are walking on the sidewalks of India or sipping coffee on the busy streets of New York, whether you are climbing the corporate ladder in the Silicon Valley or volunteering in shanty towns of Guatemala, whether you are watching your breath an a Thai monastery or working the night shift at Hyderabad call centers, ultimately, the Work must be done.

Till the end, a bow to all temples of accumulated error.