Yes, that’s more or less what happened. Sounds absurd, but it’s true, and I’ll explain how.
The other day, early in the morning I went to the gym as usual. So I go up to the gym, and just before I get on the elliptical fitness trainer, I’m talking to somebody whom I don’t know very well and as he is talking to me a little bit of spit pops out of his mouth (you know how that happens) and lands on my arm. Of course I do not immediately pull out a handkerchief and wipe the spit away, because that would be impolite. I go to the elliptical fitness machine, get on to it, start walking briskly on it, make sure that the concerned person is not watching me, then very casually pull a handkerchief out of my pocket and wipe the offended arm.
You know, I usually meditate when I am on the fitness machine. So here I am, trying to meditate, but that spot on the arm where my friend’s spit fell sort of keeps calling out to me, calling for my attention. And I know why that’s happening: subconsciously I am worried that maybe his spit carried some disease, and that now it’s on my skin, and that disease might diffuse through my skin into my bloodstream and I might get sick. Or maybe I might get a skin disease. That little spot on my arm just kept calling out to me, kept pulling my attention towards itself.
Now, meditation is a situation where you should be in a very peaceful and intensely aware state. I experience it very often, and it is a state of absolute stillness. But the mental “noise” that the spot of skin was making was certainly a disturbance. So I decided that I had to get the better of it.
I reminded myself that the skin calling out to me in my mind was nothing but a thought. It was not the essential “Me”. As I said earlier, the essential “Me” is absolutely peaceful and aware. The skin clamoring for attention was just like, say, a noise being made by a pump. It was not absolutely necessary for me to give it any attention. And if I did not give it attention, nothing was going to happen. What I had do was ignore it, and ignore it I did.
In going through this process, I became mentally stronger. I became more able to turn away from my mind whenever I felt like it. In other words, I increased my capability to be detached.
Thank you, little bit of spit, for teaching me this lesson!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Lucky,
I loved this story. Isn’t it great how we can use every day things to remember our true nature and return to peace.
Love,
Miriam
Indeed. For anyone intent on being happy, the lessons are there on a free platter!
Hi Lucky, what an interesting story. So the spit was testing your inner quiet? I find such moments a chance to practice self control, empathy and compassion. The person may be aware aware that a droplet of spit flew from his mouth. He wishes he could take it back but can’t. He may be too embarrassed to apolgize. There is no need to apologise, we all do it from time to time. It is only human. I want to make the person feel as though I felt nothing, to feel confortable and forget the incident. This is one very common opportunity for an act of kindness that helps us to build who we are. To react would show our weakness.