How can something that has never been soiled be cleaned? asked the teacher when a monk requested the job of Sanitation Officer. When the monk presented his answer, the teacher hit him, the monk broke into a sweat and stepped into enlightenment. In gratitude, he diligently cleaned the toilets in the monastery for 10,000 years. I suppose he was cleaning what was not soiled. Was his shit shining? Steaming and oh, so luminous?
We humans are very interested in cleaning soiled things. We sanitize, kill our bacteria, hide our homeless, cleanse our ethnics, and defeat our dictators. Striving for purity, we participate in endless wars, pointing fingers at this bad guy or that. Movies satisfy when good triumphs over bad. Personally, I engage in holy wars on several fronts. I'm very attracted to the notion of cleansing the body. Rheumatoid Arthritis is what I want to get rid of, so the alt-nutrition industry with its internet weaponry seduces me into thinking that if I can eliminate toxins I can eliminate disease. Just raw pure food, and I will be clean, healthy, happy, and all powerful and rich and… no shit.
My mind also tries to purify and protect itself. If I experience anger, I want to get rid of it by blaming it on someone and then getting rid of him. Or I harbor the idea that if I meditate enough, strongly enough, I will feel good all the time. Of course this is one of the biggest mistakes out there. What do I mean by good anyway? Can I restrict my experience to positive emotions, positive thoughts? If I have a negative experience, does that mean I need to change jobs, cities, partners? What if I do make all those changes, am I shit-free? I don't know about you but I keep stepping in that shit. Is the shit soiled or is it shining?
Mu. Not yes. Not no.
Disability is my shining shit. Once I stop trying to get rid of it, I recognize it as part of myself. Embracing disability means I can stop fighting myself. I can relax, accept that it is so, take medication if I need it, move how and when I can, enjoy my food. Shit is a consequence of eating, and we are eating all the time. We are consuming not just food but infinite other elements of life. Life is feeding life. Which part is the shit?
HAPPY INTERDEPENDENCE DAY!