Two days ago, I experienced something special. A moment of serendipity that brought me the most unexpected experience, and a most precious teaching.
This is a tale of a birthday, an anniversary, a Tibetan monk and an unexpected Buddhist teaching. All in the midst of Rome, Italy. Unexpected? Yes. Amazing? Totally.
I was enjoying a romantic anniversary day out with my partner Willow, in Rome, where we're currently living. We wandered the banks of the river Tiber. We sipped cappuccino, espresso and americano decaffeinato, we nibbled cornets (croissants), explored back streets, and rooted around in tiny pizzerias for a picnic. Willow carried with her €40 of her birthday money, from the week before, which I had suggested she take with her just as we left the house. Just in case she saw something that caught her eye.
Hungry, we still hadn't found lunch, when, in Trastevere, almost back at the river, hungry and exploring, we stumbled across a tiny shop. This shop, it's window filled with Buddhas, singing bowls, prayer flags, incense and 'Free Tibet' posters, stood out suddenly, amidst the surrounding cafes and pizzerias. In the middle of the window was a tiny Buddha statue, decorated in gold and silver leaf, in the Tibetan style. It was beautiful, and quite unusual, we had never seen one with silver on before. We had owned all the 'trappings' of the Buddhist life before we took to the road five years ago. Now, we simply carried our malas and yoga mats. That is enough.
But Willow, it seems, was looking for something more. A focus aid for her meditation, and for her practice. The Buddha in the window called out to her, and we went in to investigate. A young Indian guy came up to help us, thinking we were the usual kind of tourists, just looking for something to adorn our home. Not so. He showed us a number of Buddhas, each smaller than the last, as we explained we live out of our travel bags, that we travel and study Buddhism and yoga, and just required a small Buddha for Willow's practice. He got the idea, and soon we were negotiating on the silver and gold Buddha, as no other Buddha called out to Willow like this one.
A deal was secured. In the process, we chatted about Buddhism, and he shared what he knew with us. He discussed the Buddha, and how he liked to keep things simple too, having given only four teachings. He was referring to the four noble truths. The conversation continued. He was "very happy" that we had bought the Buddha, and it was clear from his eyes and his expression that this was true. He explained that the older guy, sitting quietly in the back corner of the shop, was his teacher. We smiled, and greeted him! Wonderful! You have your teacher here with you! How fortunate you are. We showed our respect to his teacher, a Tibetan.
We asked the assistant if he knew of anywhere we could receive Buddhist teachings in English, here in Rome, as we travel, and always seek teachings on the road, finding new teachers as we travel. His teacher stepped forward at this, suddenly taking an interest, and he asked what kind of teachings we were seeking, and what our own practice was. We explained that we had studied and taught (in a very small way) Kadampa Buddhism, but now held a broader Buddhist practice. We discussed each of our personal practices. His eyes lit up when I shared that I was a Vajrasattva practitioner, and that I had known the 100 syllable mantra of Buddha Vajrasattva from the moment I saw it, and never needed to memorise it, because, somehow, it was already in there. This could be regarded as evidence of extensive practice in a former life. He too now was "very happy"!
He began to write down the name and address of a number of Buddhist centres and teachers in Rome for us. We thanked him, touched that he had taken the time and effort to help us in this way. Then he asked us if we knew which Buddha it was. We thought we did, but we asked him to confirm our thoughts. Buddha Amitabha, the Buddha of compassion, whose alter-ego was Buddha Amitayus, the Buddha of long life (another of my former practices). Amitabha is also known as Amida Buddha in Japanese Buddhism. Perfect. Just perfect. Willow was joyfully holding Buddha Amitabha in her hand, as we continued to listen to the Tibetan teacher.
He began by explaining that he was a Tibetan monk, here, running this little shop, selling Tibetan Buddhist items to raise funds to send home to Tibet. A very honourable cause indeed.
Then, he began to show us a series of tanka paintings, unrolling them onto the table to explain every detail of meaning contained within their mandalas. He explained and demonstrated how the meaning related to actual Buddhist practice, and how we could use that in our lives.
Now, we had both studied many long hours, and received many teachings from qualified Buddhist teachers from the West, and from the East, over the years. But non had the depth of knowledge, wisdom, and vital energies of this humble man's teachings. He continued on, demonstrating the other Buddhist tools, showing us the bell and dorje of Buddhist tantric practice, checking if we knew how to use them. I explained that we did, that we had previously had all of these tools, but had given them up to travel and study. So he recommended how I might replace the physical objects with specific visualisations in my practice. Perfect!
He moved on to the display of Tibetan singing bowls, taking up one of the larger ones, along with a leather clad wooden striker. Raising the bowl to chest height, he began to sound it, explaining how the sound connected to the chakras, explaining the difference between the Tibetan and Hindu chakra systems and colours, connecting the teaching to the little Amitabha Buddha we had bought. We had a Spanish monk and teacher in the UK who had done a little of this with us, and had owned a smaller bowl ourselves. But never had we witnessed such a clear sound from one, nor had we discovered that three quite different sounds could be made by a singing bowl. We were silently stunned, taking in all of his wise words and practical demonstrations, each demonstrated in relation to our own specific circumstances and needs.
Amazing. Finally, the teaching came to an end, some 30 minutes later, and we thanked him so very much for his kindness, generosity and for the wisdom of his teachings. He hadn't tried to sell us anything more, he had understood that we lived a simple life and travelled nomadically, and that it was the teachings that were of the utmost value to us.
Hungry, we walked out of the shop, feeling like something quite magical had just occurred. Like in a dream. As if we had discovered a tear in the universe, and slipped into another world for a little while. Of all the teachers we have had, and all the teachings we have received, this was the most clear and directly related to us, and our personal practice and way of life. Not only that, but he made connections to certain health and life issues we are currently experiencing, that he knew nothing of. We discovered that he is also trained in Tibetan healing arts. All became clear.
As we walked off, smiling with a little more wisdom than before, and returned to the search for a pizza picnic, we chatted and shared our feelings about the experience. "Did that really happen?" "Wow!" "How did that happen?"
We came to Rome in an act of serendipity, and this teaching occurred because of another act of serendipity. Because of our openness to allow that serendipity to occur, we were a little wiser now, and eyes wide open to the world again, refreshed in our Buddhist practice, as if direct from the source.
This moment of serendipity truly was a magic moment.
Do yourself a favour. Allow room in your own life for a little serendipity.
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