070-My aquarium - Buddhism in daily life

My aquarium

Maybe some readers have noticed that I got an aquarium as a present from the Shaolin Temple Europe. The good spirit of the temple breeds ornamental fish there in the basement, which brings a very calming aspect.

The aquarium is small, stands on my desk, again and again I enjoy the hustle and bustle, the little fish are "lively like fish in water", I enjoy their Buddha nature.

At the same time I think to myself that they probably have no idea of the situation, simply accept their container, probably do not doubt their fate, probably do not ponder about the "meaning of life", certainly would not even understand that they are "my" fish, swimming in a water tank, living in an "artificial world". It is also not at all sure whether they "perceive" me. It is also not clear whether they see me at all, can classify me, or simply recognize me as a thick shadow to swim away from.

Every time I look into the aquarium I imagine that I too could be living in some kind of container that another species has built for me (and my fellow species), who are now in front of some kind of glass, staring at me as I go about my work, perhaps themselves sitting in a container again, being watched by yet another species. This would correspond very much with the teaching of Buddha, after all is only a dream, which it is necessary to leave.

And the fishes themselves, what if they would also keep some kind of pets, such as a web of algae, or small colonies of shells, or maybe just single-celled organisms. All then in consequence species, which think of themselves to be "unique", which do not (can not) see the connection "outside", which do not (can not) understand at all, how things are connected. Just as Buddha explains the connections to us, because we just don't "understand" them either.

Can you imagine (for a short moment) that you too are sitting in such a cage (or aquarium)? Above us stands a species that dominates us, allocates things to us, organizes the feeding for us, that "invented" our entire system? A disturbing thought. Whereas we think that we are the crown of creation (which we are not at all). And we think that we would understand so everything, that "our" science would have the "full view". Or what would be, if we are only the play figures of some "spinners from the future", just only the parts of a computer game?

Yes, if we look out of our container, but understand nothing, what would be then?

The way is the goal!

Let the fools strive for glory, toil for vain precedence. Let them seek vain dominion delusions, let them hunt!

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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