Gratitude

Recently, I received an email invitation from my spiritual teacher whom I consider my Dhamma Father.

The invitation stated his wish to express his gratitude to all his students who learned the technique of Vipassana Meditation during his first 10 years marking its reintroduction to India after 2000 years by him. The invitation highlighted his wish to express his deep gratitude to everyone who learned Vipassana Meditation from him and have helped themselves and others to derive the benefits from this technique. Because of their support, today, millions of people have received this technique. They have benefited from it and will continue to derive benefit from it in their journey to the ultimate freedom.

Initial reaction of the Mind was...

Why has he decided on this? I have never heard about this reversal of norm. Isn't it always the disciple who is grateful to the master? Sons and daughters grateful to the parents? And not the other way round except in the ultimate spiritual sense.

What is the message he is sending to his students?

As far as his actions are concerned, mundane logic doesn't apply. He is an Acharya. Therefore, according to Indian definition, he practices first and then preaches on the strength of his practice. He is a true Archarya in that sense. In my 29 years of contact with him I have never heard him utter even one sentence which is contrary to his teachings. His every word can be authenticated and experienced by practicing and walking on the path which he himself has walked and THUS shown to everyone.

Few sittings of meditation and the Mind began to comprehend...

A seed which has not germinated, irrespective of its characteristic will still be subject to law of nature of birth, decay and death. But it will never loose its identity and potential during its life. However, only when someone plants it and nurtures it for a while, the seed is able to manifests its full potential. And if there is no one to care, according to the Law of Nature it will still try to propagate itself.

Conceptually, a seed therefore, is grateful to the gardener for helping it to manifest its potential and rewards the gardener with millions of identical seeds in return. The gardener in return is equally grateful to the same seed for providing food and shelter to him and his future generations for a little care he has given initially to that seed in the process of becoming a tree.

Aren't Masters like seeds sometimes? Striving as Disciple, to become the Master and after becoming Master helping the other disciples to become masters? What is the driving force in this process? Gratitude?

Seed and the Gardner both grateful to each other? therefore, is gratitude not essential for mutual survival? and hence part of the Law of Nature?

Mind ....

Seed, Gardener and Tree began to loose their identity, became one and fade away leaving only the feeling of Gratitude.

May my Master continue to provide the shade and seeds of Dhamma like a Bodhi Tree and help this gardner to transform into the seed...the tree....and the Ultimate.