It's not often one can say that you received a profound teaching from a bug! But this is what happened to me and I thought it was worth sharing.
Last summer as I was riding my bike I noticed a small bug had landed on my right arm. It didn't look to be one that would bite or sting so I let it ride along. After quite a distance I said to it, in a casual tone, “Hey little buddy, you should hop off before you get lost and don't know where you are.” I was shocked when he clearly answered me back, saying, “I am never lost because I have no attachments.”
After recovering from the initial surprise, I started to wonder what the bug really meant. For me, being lost means that you have a desire or an expectation to be someplace other than where you are. If that is true, then it would make sense that if you had no desires or expectations and if all of your needs were met wherever you were, then indeed you would never be lost!
I felt I was starting to get the right idea when the wind suddenly picked up and blew the little bug off my arm. In my imagining, he was carried away with no worries at all, to someplace with new
experiences and teachings.
Upon reflection I realized a part of me wanted to be free enough to be like the bug, even for a short period of time. That thought prompted me start to exploring my own life in more detail. What attachments are holding me back from being as free as the bug? What would life be like if I didn't have so many responsibilities and obligations? While it is not realistic to give up all of my attachments or responsibilities, what would it be like if I had less of them? What if I booked a day or two a month simply to be free, without worry, to allow the wind or spirit to guide me? Where might I go? Who might I meet? What might I experience and learn?
It was then I realized what a gift the bug had given me.
Comments