Source: The Internet
Just think, if in one’s life, one can meet a person who knows how to completely devote his love to you, or one can meet a person to whom it is worthwhile for you to love entirely, then, this is called true bliss.
The passengers on the bus all sympathetically turned their attention to the pretty young lady who was carefully boarding the vehicle with a white crutch in her hand. She handed the fare to the driver and then walked towards the vacant seat as instructed, her arms stretched out in front of her, seeking the direction of the seat. Once sat down, this pretty lady placed her briefcase on top of her knees and then put the crutch by the side of her leg.
Susan was thirty-four years old. Just over a year ago, due to some form of medical negligence, her life was suddenly drawn into complete darkness, with no light whatsoever, she was left with only her anger, her frustration and her self-pity. Susan was once independent and full of self-confidence. At present, through this kind of twisted fate, she was pushed into a bottomless depth. Consequently, Susan, as vulnerable as she was, could not avoid becoming a burden to those around her.
Susan would constantly complain, “Why me?” Deep within her heart she possessed an endless hatred which somehow could not be expressed. However, no matter how distressed she was, whether laying blame or praying for some kind of miracle, she somehow knew that she would never get her sight back. Susan had once possessed an optimistic mind with high aspirations, now, all these were replaced by depression and negativity.
Susan’s daily life was a repeated manifestation of frustration and tiredness. Her husband, Mark, was her only support. Mark was a lieutenant in the air force. He could not bear to watch Susan abandon herself and fall into self-destruction. Therefore, he decided to help Susan regain her past confidence and become an independent person again. Mark, being a soldier, might be fully competent in dealing with complicated situations, yet he did realize that this was something he had no experience in and that this would be the most difficult challenge in his life.
They both made a tremendous effort to move forward. One day, Susan was finally ready to return to work. However, their problem was transportation. In the past, Susan would always take the bus to work, now, just the thought of taking the bus alone made her shiver. As a result, Mark volunteered to drive Susan to and from work. Mark strongly felt that this was what he wanted to do, even though their workplaces were far apart. At first, although Susan had lost her eye sight and her self-confidence, she felt safe as Mark personally escorted her to and from work. This also satisfied Mark as it was his way of protecting her.
Nevertheless, after a while, Mark felt that this could not stay as a long-term arrangement as the whole process was becoming a burden and costing them a lot of money. More importantly, Mark told himself, “Susan must slowly try to take the bus by herself.” The question was that Mark did not know how to approach Susan on this matter, since she was now so fragile and short-tempered. Moreover, he couldn’t imagine how Susan might react! Consequently, just as Mark suspected, Susan stared at Mark in total shock, unable to believe what he had said. She painfully retorted, “I’m a blind person! How do you expect me to distinguish between North, East, South and West? Are you deserting me!?” Mark was heart-broken. However, he knew that something was needed to take care of, no matter how great the obstacles might be.
Therefore, he promised Susan that he would take the bus with her to and from work until she was no longer afraid. From then on, for the next two weeks, Mark, in his military uniform with his briefcase in hand, took Susan to and from work. Mark taught Susan how she should rely on her senses, especially her hearing to judge her present surroundings and to adapt to new environments.
Mark also helped Susan make friends with the driver. He asked the driver to look after his dear wife and reserve a seat for her on his bus. Even though Susan was not happy with daily life and was constantly distressed, however, a tiny smile appeared on her face due to Mark’s devoted care and attention. Every morning, they would take the bus to Susan’s workplace, and from there, Mark would take a taxi to work. Although this approach did cost them more time and effort than before, Mark was confident that one day Susan would be able to take the bus by herself. Mark truly believed that Susan would eventually succeed as it was just a matter of time.
Mark knew that Susan was once a woman of great courage and would not give up so easily. He deeply believed that the present Susan was the same and would not be defeated by her loss of sight. Finally, Susan decided to try and take the bus to work by herself. One Monday morning, when she had finished getting ready for work, she tightly embraced Mark. Up until now, he was her travel companion, her husband and her best friend. Susan’s eyes were filled with tears; tears of gratitude. She thanked Mark for his sincerity, his patience and his compassionate company. This was the first time for them to ‘go their own way’. Susan waved goodbye to Mark.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ... time passed day by day. Susan went to work by herself with great success. She had made it!
It was a Friday morning and Susan was still going to work on the bus by herself. As usual, she would pay the fare to the driver and as she alighted, she would always hear the driver say: “I really envy you!” Susan was not sure whether the driver was talking to her or not; after all, nobody in his right mind would envy a blind person, who for the last few years, struggled to look for the courage to survive. Susan was curious and asked, “Why do you say that?” The driver replied, “It must be wonderful to be under such devoted protection and care!” Susan still did not understand and asked again, “You mean ...” “Yes, I mean ...,” the driver replied, “Every single day for the past week, a handsome gentleman in military uniform would stand waiting just around the corner of the street; he would watch you get off the bus, safely cross the road, and enter the office building. Once you were inside, he would blow you a kiss in your honour and then leave. You truly are a lucky person!” When Susan heard this, she was so moved that tears streamed down her cheeks.
During all of this, although Susan could not physically see Mark, she did feel that he was always by her side keeping her company. It was true that she was lucky. In fact, she was extremely lucky! She had received a gift that was even more precious than regaining her lost eyesight. This gift did not require her sight to appreciate it, because this was something that she felt deep within her heart.
Love, let light grow in darkness.
This kind of intense love manifests fully, without the need for speech ...,
Whole-hearted guardianship requires determination such as this,
To place one’s partner at the centre of one’s heart is the strongest form of protection ...;
One must give the utmost love to succeed.
| Postscript: | In fact, when one’s Guru gives out the compassion of the Bodhisattvas and constantly watches over us from above, like the Dharmapala. He is, in fact, continually blessing us and wishing us our heart’s desire, harmony and good fortune. |
