Extraordinary Now
Extraordinary Now*
Think, speak and act, then, always in the eternal now with compassion and understanding for your own enlightenment and for the enlightenment of all sentient beings.
Rev. Kenryu Tsuji, “Eternal Now” from The Heart of the Buddha-Dharma, pp. 73-74
April-May 2012
Isn’t it amazing how our lives are woven together? We never know who we will meet, or where, or when we might perhaps meet again. It is difficult to gauge the effect or the potentiality of a passing encounter, or the way in which it might resonate in our lives years later under entirely different circumstances.
Back in 1983, while I was living in Quito, Ecuador, I decided to take a course in Latin American literature at the local university. Gabriel García Márquez had just received a Nobel Prize for his writing, and it was wonderful to study his work in the original language. He is known for a literary style known as magical realism, which blurs the distinction between fantasy and reality and is characterized by an equal acceptance of the ordinary and the extraordinary. It is often used to explore the character of human existence, and especially the realities of those who are outside of the “objective mainstream.” Does this mean that the mainstream actually has a handle on true reality?
To be honest, I no longer recall much about the course. What I do remember are the coffee breaks I took with some of my expatriate classmates. One particular conversation is still very clear in my mind, though I’m not even sure why. As always, the four of us were relaxing and enjoying each other’s company, communicating in the common language of Spanish. There were two men—one Russian and one American, and a woman from Afghanistan besides myself. The three of them were explaining to me, a Canadian, about the war in Afghanistan, each from his or her personal point of view. At the time, Russia was occupying the country, and the United States was supporting the Mujahideen resistance there. The two men were polite but ardent in defending their respective governments’ actions. However, after listening quietly for a time, the woman gently said that her country should best be left to resolve its own affairs. There was a wistful silence but no sense of animosity or disagreement. The wordless pause brought us back together as one, I suppose, for we remained close throughout the semester, gradually to drift away to our various pursuits. Did our reality in that moment, as four friends sitting tranquilly over coffee, trump geopolitical dictates?
Much has changed since that time, both globally and personally. I had forgotten about that fragment of my past until today, listening to the latest news about American troops in Afghanistan. I wonder about my classmates, as I recall the sincere sense of well-being we shared with each other. In retrospect, I am grateful for that awakening moment, when the ordinary occurrence of a coffee break was really quite extraordinary. Since we parted, many lives have been touched by each of us. Is it fantasy to think that the extraordinary could become the ordinary, that there is a possibility for all beings to be happy and well, and that someday we might all attain perfect peace and harmony? May each of us live in grateful awareness of our intertwined karmic conditions and reflect upon Rev. Kenryu Tusji’s exhortation, knowing that our thoughts, words and deeds touch the infinite.
Gassho,
Rev. P. Usuki
* Revised from “May Peace Spring Eternal” in Annon: Peace and Tranquility, 2009, Southern District Ministers’ Association.
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