The Gates of Paradise
A soldier named Nobushige came to the master Hakuin, and asked: “Is there really a paradise and a hell?”
“Who are you?” inquired Hakuin. “I am a samurai,” the warrior replied.
“You, a soldier!” exclaimed Hakuin. “What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar.” Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: “So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head.”
As Nobushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: “Here open the gates of hell!” At these words the samurai, perceiving the master’s discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed.
“Here open the gates of paradise,” said Hakuin.
Thus goes a well known Zen story. I have loved this story, even since I first heard it as part of a Learning Program, which I was part of, over two decades back. But when this story came back to me last, in July 2021, it was different. The place, the situation, the mindset, everything was vastly different from all the earlier reflections of this story.
The Other Side of my Life
The date was 27th July 2021. It was my Birthday and it was a birthday like no other, in 49 years which had gone past. The place for the recollection of this story was rather dramatic – the hospital bed. I was lying alone in a room, the Covid ward of the local hospital, being treated, for exactly that – Covid 19. At first, I was a bit unhappy…. distraught no but unhappy yes, at least for a few hours. Who wants to spend one’s significant day of the year, sick, least of all, in hospital, and even more so, during a “half century – milestone” of my life? But as the hours ticked by, and I could literally hear the ticking (the TV set lay unused by me for the 8 days I spent in hospital), my unhappiness gradually turned to an inner satisfaction and in a couple of days – to joy!
I felt like I had not had moments like these for several months – an exciting time professionally no doubt – but yet, without a pause. It dawned on me…. an inner awareness – this was not an ordinary happening. This was the gate to the other side – of a bright new life!
Artistry from a Higher Plane
Cut to Norbulingka Institute, at Dharamshala, a popular tourist place in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, in India, 9 months later. This state, is a tourist paradise. Thousands throng every year to experience peace, mindfulness and happiness. Norbulingka means “Treasure Garden” or “Treasure Park”, in Tibetan. I had written about Norbulingka, a few years back, in another article for Talent Talks – but had not visited. Here I was finally – I had longed to see it all these years.
Norbulingka, itself, is a diverse community of over 300 people, made up of masters and their apprentices, scholars and students, administrators, and hospitality staff. Employees hail from every region of Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora in India, and each individual has a unique story to tell – all through their art. Their goal is to give a glimpse into the lives of some of Norbulingka’s employees in hopes that people will gain a deeper understanding of Tibetan culture as a whole, and the values, dreams, and struggles of Tibetan people in exile (Tibetans live in exile here because China claims that Tibet is part of their territory). I was fascinated to see the Norbulingka Institute in person, amid lush surroundings, which was even curiously designed to look like Avalokiteshwara, a form of Buddha, in its top view. The institute not only trains Tibetans to create sacred thangka paintings, appliqué thangka, metal sculptures and wooden carvings using traditional techniques, but also produces the masterpieces for sale. The art, which is all done by hand, is extremely intricate and is exquisite in every way (the prices are also beyond the reach of local tourists but every piece is so beautiful, priceless in its own appeal). The apprenticeships are extremely rigorous and the training for becoming a beginner at professionally creating these art pieces, is ten years! Yes, ten years of daily disciplined effort until one can get recognized as an Artisan. Why such a long apprenticeship, one may ask?
The spiritual art is considered as a “support” and “focal point” for meditation and achieving spiritual goals. For instance, thangkas (the paintings depicting gods) are used to meditate, visualize the deity and develop a connection with the deity. The sacred art, therefore, is strictly created using size, colour and proportion rules mentioned in the holy books. Thangka paintings are a medium to express the Buddhist principles and an object of beauty. Each thangka must meet standards mentioned in the texts, such as deity statue proportions. Thangka paintings are extremely popular in the Indian subcontinent and are must-buy for every tourist. Little do we imagine the endless hours of gruelling and painstaking effort that has gone into making one painting – ten years of apprenticeship before even starting that one. That which seems a beautiful piece of spontaneous creativity is itself a passage to a higher plane. It is due to this that most of the creations look out of this world – a divine touch – led by a divine Leader – the Dalai Lama.
A superior Captain
In school, I had heard about Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican cleric – for his role in the stiff opposition to apartheid. Of course, he went on to receive the Nobel Prize. I had not even fully grasped the meaning of “apartheid” at that young age but whatever I heard about him and read through the newspapers had a lasting impact. Only much later did I care to investigate about the personality of this man. More so, the purpose….
Desmond Tutu had formulated his purpose as “a democratic and just society without racial divisions”.
Among human rights activists, he was often compared to giants like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., but Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was known to dismiss those comparisons. What struck me then, was that – even though his purpose and work were so lofty, his sense of humour was very prominent.
In a 2007 interview with Harvard Business Review, the South cleric joked that he won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize mostly because the Nobel Committee was looking for an anti-apartheid figure whose last name was easy to pronounce. “What I am is a good captain,” he says. “I utilize the talents and brilliance of the people on the team, and when the team plays well and wins, I get the kudos.”
Further, when asked how he learnt to use humour in leadership, his response was no less humorous: “I have a family that likes pulling people’s legs. They can be very funny. When you have to survive in that environment, you have to be pretty sharp yourself. In South Africa we became experts at conducting funerals, and people were angry and hurt over the mistreatment. But we also had this wonderful capacity to laugh. If we hadn’t, we would have gone crazy. You know the saying—if we didn’t laugh, we’d have to cry.”
What a captain! I firmly believe that when a Leader with a purpose much larger than self is able to laugh at oneself and bring humour to even stressful conversations with consummate ease, the Leader is no ordinary one. Such an individual leads from a higher consciousness, leads others to a higher consciousness.
Shift to a Higher Consciousness
The Indian flag, also called the Tricolour, actually has a fourth colour, that of a wheel, which is at the centre of the flag. This fourth colour is blue, but it represents the colours of a higher consciousness. This wheel is attributed to one of the finest Leaders the world has known – his name: Samrat (emperor) Ashok, referred to by scholars, across the world, as Ashoka the Great. But what is truly ironic, is that his rise to greatness, happened through War. That’s right – War, that dreaded three letter word, which diminishes consciousness, nay life itself. Then how?
There are limited sources about the exact nature and events about the Kalinga War. As per the Rock Edicts of Ashoka, one lakh people were killed in this war, several lakhs perished and a lakh and a half injured, were taken prisoners.
It was just the 8th year of Ashoka’s reign in 261 BC. The ruler of Kalinga , Anant Padmanabha,(the opponent in this war) had a powerful army comprising infantry, cavalry and elephants but the brilliance of Ashoka was able to overcome this force.. What is deeply insightful; is the aftermath of the Kalinga War. The Kalinga War had such a profound effect on Ashoka, it is the only war which led to a would-be conqueror to give up his sword.
The Kalinga War prompted Ashoka, to devote the rest of his life to ahimsa (non-violence) and to dharma-Vijaya (victory through a higher purpose). Following the conquest of Kalinga, Ashoka ended the military expansion of the empire and began an era of more than 40 years of peace, harmony, and prosperity. And how – he became a global Emperor. The message of peace and love, was transmitted to the entire eastern part of the world, as Buddhism, through this reign. Many people will argue, that the reign under Ashoka would be one of the factors that led to the eventual fall of the Mauryan Empire following his death in 232 BC, but that’s a very different discussion.
In India, there is a popular belief: As above, so below. As within, so without. As Consciousness within the Leader grows, the consciousness of its ecosystem can be raised. The Samurai with his sword in the scabbard is awareness, with the sword drawn simply because he has been provoked is the Gate to hell. The Samurai who knows why and when to draw the sword has found the path to paradise – Leading with a higher consciousness. Such a Leader alone, has the ability to convert his or her organization to a Norbulingka – a garden of divine treasures.
To get back to 27th July 2021, as I passed through the gate of life, I felt I was being nudged to lead with this higher consciousness. Desmond Tutu’s words could be a guiding light: “Suffering is part and parcel of the human condition, but suffering can either embitter or ennoble us. It can ennoble us and become a spirituality of transformation when we find meaning in it.” The World is facing all sorts of problems today, but for a Leader who leads with this consciousness, these are tremendous opportunities for the development of self and one’s people. When we say Leader, we do not limit to only professional spaces – they lead in every space they touch.
So what is “leading with consciousness”? In Eckhart Tolle’s words – “at the heart of this new consciousness, lies the transcendence of thought, the newfound ability of rising above thought, of realizing a dimension within yourself, that is infinitely more vast than your thought”. How would leading with consciousness look like:
- Less identification with one’s own ego – not wanting to be right all the time
- Responding, rather than reacting
- Interactions arising out of empathy and service
- In times of crisis, finding solace from a deeper place within
- Easily finding good within self and others
- Defining a purpose, greater than oneself
- Aligning one’s actions with purpose
- Seeking validation, only from self
- Believing in the interdependence of all existence
- Finding joy in being
Visualize what a Norbulingka, such a Leader would create. Are you one?