La vida es como una botella de buen vino. Algunos se contentan con leer la etiqueta. Otros prefieren probar su contenido. En cierta ocasión mostró Buda una flor a sus discípulos y les pidió que dijeran algo acerca de ella. Ellos estuvieron un rato contemplándola en silencio. Uno pronunció una conferencia filosófica sobre la flor. Otro creó un poema. Otro ideó una parábola. Todostratando de quedar por encima de los demás.¡Fabricantes de etiquetas!Mahakashyap miró la flor, sonrió y no dijo nada. Sólo él la había visto.
¡Si tan sólo pudiera probar un pájaro, una flor, un árbol, un rostro humano… ! Pero ¡ay! ¡No tengo tiempo! Estoy demasiado ocupado en aprender a descifrar etiquetas y en producir las mías propias. Pero ni siquiera una vez he sido capaz de embriagarme con el vino.
Anthony de Mello nos insta a racionalizar menos la creación y a disfrutar más de sus atributos mediante la experiencia personal. Otro manera de conexión con Dios.
The monk asked: “All these mountains and these rivers and the earth and the stars… where do they come from?” And the Master asked: “And where does your question come from?”
“Look within yourself!”
Anthony de Mello urges us to seek God within, through self-knowledge and meditation.
Preguntaba el monje: «Todas estas montañas y estos ríos y la tierra y las estrellas… ¿de dónde vienen?Y preguntó el Maestro: «¿Y de dónde viene tu pregunta?».
«¡Busca en tu interior!»
Anthony de Mello nos insta a buscar en el interior a Dios a través del autoconocimiento y la meditación.
A neighbor found Nasruddin on his knees, searching for something. “What are you looking for, Mullab?” “My key. I’ve lost it.” So the two of them knelt down and began searching for the lost key. After a while, the neighbor asked: “Where did you lose it?” “At home.” “Good heavens! Then why are you looking for it here?” “Because there is more light here.”
“What is the use of searching for God in holy places if the place where you have lost Him is your own heart?”
Anthony de Mello explains it clearly: one must seek God within, for He has never been lost.
Un vecino encontró a Nasruddin cuando éste andaba buscando algo de rodillas. «¿Qué andas buscando, Mullab?». «Mi llave. La he perdido». Y arrodillados los dos, se pusieron a buscar la llave perdida. Al cabo de un rato dijo el vecino: «¿Dónde laperdiste?». «En casa».«¡Santo Dios! Y entonces, ¿por qué la buscas aquí?».«Porque aquí hay más luz».
«¿De qué vale buscar a Dios en lugares santos si donde lo has perdido ha sido en tu corazón?».
Anthony de Mello lo explica ya, hay que buscar a Dios en el interior, ya que no se ha perdido.
An ancient Hindu story: Once upon a time, there was a merchant who was shipwrecked and washed ashore on the coasts of Ceylon, where Vibhishana was the king of the monsters. The merchant was brought before the king. Upon seeing him, Vibhishana was overcome with joy and said, “Ah, how much he resembles my Rama. He is identical to him!” Then he covered the merchant with rich garments and jewels and worshipped him.
The Hindu mystic Ramakrishna says: “The first time I heard this story, I felt an indescribable joy. If God can be worshipped through an image made of clay, why should He not be worshipped through a human being?”
Anthony de Mello refers to the image of Jesus worshipped as an idol. In this case, I have my doubts as to whether God can be worshipped through an idol, a person, or the representation of a person, since this contradicts the fact demonstrated by Spinoza that God is eternal and infinite. How can a figure or a person be symbols of the eternal and the infinite?
Una antigua historia hindú: Érase una vez un mercader que naufragó y fue arrastrado hasta las costas de Ceylán, donde Vibhishana era el rey de los monstruos. El mercader fue llevado a presencia del rey. Al verle, Vibhishana quedó extasiado degozo y dijo: «¡Ah, cómo se parece a mi Rama. Es idéntico a él!». Entonces cubrió al mercader de ricos vestidos y joyas y le adoró.
Dice el místico hindú Ramakrishna: «La primera vez que escuché esta historia sentí una alegría indescriptible.Si a Dios se le puede adorar a través de una imagen de barro, ¿por qué no se le va a Poder adorar a través del hombre?
Anthony de Mello nos refiere a la imagen de Jesús arorado como un ídolo. En este caso tengo mis dudas acerca de si se puede adorar a Dios a través de un ídolo, una persona o la representación de una persona; debido a que esto contradice el hecho demostrado por Spinoza de que Dios es eterno e infinito. ¿Cómo puede una figura o una persona ser símbolos de lo eterno e infinito?
In the Gospel of Saint John we read: The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us… Through him all things came into being; without him not one thing came into being of all that has come to be. In him was life, and that life was the light of humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it. Look at the darkness. It will not be long before you see the light. Observe all things in silence. It will not be long before you see the Word. The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us…
It is painful to witness the desperate efforts of those who try to turn flesh back into word again. Words, words, words…
In this account, Anthony de Mello tries to go against those who attempt to rationalize God with mere words. Words add nothing to facts, nor to the very existence of God.
En el Evangelio de San Juan leemos: La Palabra se hizo carne y acampó entre nosotros… Mediante ella se hizo todo; sin ella no se hizo nada de cuanto ha sido creado. Todo lo que llegó a ser estaba lleno de su vida. Y esa vida era la luz de los hombres. Laluz brilla en las tinieblas, y las tinieblas jamás la han apagado. Fíjate en las tinieblas. No pasará mucho tiempo antes de que veas la luz. Observa silenciosamente todas las cosas. No pasará mucho tiempo antes de que veas la Palabra. La Palabra se hizo carne y acampó entre nosotros…
Resulta penoso comprobar los denodados esfuerzos de quienes tratan de convertir de nuevo la carne en palabra. Palabras, palabras, palabras…
Anthony de Mello en este relato intenta ir en contra de las personas que intentan racionalizar a Dios con meras palabras. Las palabras no añaden nada a los hechos, ni a la existencia misma de Dios.
The temple had stood on an island, two miles out to sea. It had a thousand bells—large and small—crafted by the finest artisans in the world. When the wind blew or the storm raged, all the temple bells rang in unison, producing a symphony that captivated all who heard it. But, over the centuries, the island sank into the sea, taking the temple and its bells with it.An ancient tradition claimed that the bells continued to ring ceaselessly, and that anyone who listened closely could hear them. Moved by this tradition, a young man traveled thousands of miles, determined to hear those bells. He sat for days on the shore, in front of the place where the temple had once stood, listening with full attention. But all he heard was the sound of the waves breaking against the shore.He made every possible effort to block out the noise of the waves so that he could hear the bells. But it was all in vain; the sound of the sea seemed to flood the entire universe. He persisted for weeks. When despair overtook him, he had the chance to hear the village wise men speak reverently of the legend of the temple bells and of those who had heard them, attesting to the legend’s truth. His heart burned with flames as he listened… only to return to despair when, after more weeks of effort, he achieved nothing.Finally, he decided to give up his attempt. Perhaps he was not destined to be one of those fortunate beings who were given the gift of hearing the bells. Or perhaps the legend was not true. He would return home and acknowledge his failure.It was his last day in the place, and he decided to visit his observation spot one final time, to say goodbye to the sea, the sky, the wind, and the coconut trees. He lay down on the sand, gazing at the sky and listening to the sound of the sea. That day he did not resist the sound; on the contrary, he surrendered to it and discovered that the roar of the waves was actually a sweet and pleasant sound. Soon he became so absorbed in that sound that he was barely aware of himself. So profound was the silence it produced in his heart… and in the midst of that silence, he heard it! The tolling of one little bell, followed by another, and another, and another… And then all one thousand bells of the temple rang in glorious harmony, and his heart was filled with awe and joy.
If you wish to hear the temple bells, listen to the sound of the sea. If you wish to see God, look closely at creation. Do not reject it; do not analyze it. Simply, look at it.
This story is an allegory of the meditation process. At first, nothing is felt, no bells are heard. No matter how hard one tries, enlightenment does not come. Only by letting go and not striving, finally, through silence alone, can one hear the bells or establish a connection with God.
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