Practising Loving Kindness

Head Nun in one of her talks had stressed on the practice of loving kindness, one of the foremost tenets of Buddhism. A quotation she shared with us was: "Three Things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind." I had never heard such words of wisdom before and I was eager to practise, practise, practise.


I was pondering over this matter one hot afternoon and thinking of ways I could help the nuns, when she appeared - "she" being a slinky female with grey green eyes. She approached me and said in a hoarse whisper that she needed some water, having travelled a long way. Wonderful - a chance for me to practise loving kindness! I invited her into the kitchen and Head Nun who was there, nodded her approval.


I gave the thirsty stranger some of my soya bean milk which I had saved for dinner that night. As she lapped it up, I couldn't help noticing her pink nose, slender figure and graceful tail. Wow!My heart began to beat a little faster, then it did a somersault! What was worse, my legs began to tremble. What was happening to me? Was I coming down with flu or something? I had never felt like this before and it was frightening.


Wait a minute. Didn't Head Nun say that I could chant that mantra whenever I felt afraid or unwell? I began to chant .... Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum ....


Meantime she had finished my soya and turned her big grey green eyes on me.


(Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum).


"Thank you so much," she said softly.


"You're ....you're welcome," I stammered.


(Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum).


"I shall never forget your kindness," she purred. "What is your name, kind sir?"


"My ...my... name? Oh, it's Da."


(Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum).


"Well, Da, I have to go back to my mistress' house but who knows, we may meet again one day."


My eyes widened ... meet again? I gasped for air. My legs were shaking like jelly now. I ran across the kitchen and hid behind a big pail.


I must have fainted because when I came to, she was gone. I ran out into the garden hoping to catch a final glimpse of her but the road was empty.


For the next few days, I could not eat or sleep. I went about like a zombie. I missed my prayer and meditation sessions. All I could see were those grey green eyes. I scolded myself again and again for not asking her name and address. And at night I had endless dreams of her.


The nuns said I must be sick and took me to a vet, but he could not find anything wrong with me. One evening, Head Nun held me in her arms and asked me gently, "Vege Cat, is there anything wrong? You can tell me." I just couldn't find the words. I was afraid she might laugh at me. She didn't press me for an answer and let me go. But somehow I got the feeling that she knew .... and she also knew I knew she knew.


Finally, after something like two weeks, I returned to my normal self. I cursed myself for being so stupid and behaving like a lovesick cat, which one of the nuns said I was. In fact, I felt very ashamed that I had allowed myself to almost stray from my goal in life - Nirvana. I asked Head Nun to forgive me for my unpardonable behaviour but she just smiled and said, "It's alright, I know." Sometimes I wished she didn't know so many things.


From then on, I vowed I would never look at any four legged female again. As for practising loving kindness, I decided it would be best to leave it to the nuns.