After Ning's so-called problem had been solved, I doubled my spiritual efforts by spending long hours in meditation and chanting. Some days I even fasted. The episode with Mi Mi showed I still had a long way to go to reach my goal of enlightenment and I was determined that there would be no more obstacles.
One evening, while meditating under the custard apple tree again, I heard footsteps coming towards me and then, someone tapped my shoulder. Annoyed, I opened my eyes and saw that it was ... Mi Mi!
Oh no, what the hell is she doing here? Thought she had left town.
"Sorry, friend, to wake you up," she said sweetly.
Now even more irritated, I growled, "What do you want now?"
"No need to get all ruffled up," she said. "All I want is someone to talk to ....."
Drat it, this female is going to ruin everything for me, I thought to myself.
"Look, I don't run some kind of counselling service, why don't you just leave me alone?" I almost shouted. Then I realised I was perhaps being too harsh. After all, cats on the way to enlightenment must show love and compassion to all sentient beings.
"Alright, alright," I said, relenting a little. "But make it quick."
Mi Mi looked down, her green eyes suddenly wet with tears.
"Look," she said. "I know you're not too happy to see me but you're the only one I can trust and confide in."
I heaved a sigh and said, "Please, please get on with it. I have things to do."
"Well, after I left town, I met an old lady who asked whether she could take me home with her. I was hungry and tired, so I said okay and followed her. I found to my surprise that she lived in a beautiful country house surrounded by a large garden and lovely trees. She told me she had a pet cat and wanted me to be friends with him as he was rather lonely. So she took me to meet Percy and I was thrilled to see that he was a white Persian! I fell in love with him instantly - oh he was so handsome, so debonair! I've always wanted to meet a Persian and he was every inch what I had been dreaming of! But he was rather aloof, he didn't seem to take any interest in me even though I tried to look my sexiest. Most of the time he ignored me during my stay there."
"So what happened next?" I asked, getting rather tired of what sounded like another of her love affairs.
"I was getting rather depressed because nothing I did could get his attention. I was beginning to think that that white snob thought he's too good for me. One day while I was in the kitchen talking to the housekeeper, she told me that Percy had been ....." Her voice trailed away.
"Percy had been what?" I asked impatiently.
"Neutered! You know the meaning of that?" she shrieked, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Oh! So... so that's why he showed no interest in you at all." I concluded, a little taken aback myself.
She nodded sadly. "My heart broke into a million pieces that day. I left the house and came back here."
"It's alright, Mi Mi," I managed to say, feeling a little sorry for her. "You''ll find someone else. There are thousands of guys out there, you know."
"But none like him," she said, sniffing. Then suddenly she sat up.
"Say, why don't I come and stay here with you? This temple looks very peaceful - I could join the nuns, do meditation ....."
I shrank back in horror. Seeing the look on my face, she laughed. "I was only kidding! Believe me, I'm not cut out to be a nun!" She winked at me, gave me a hug and sailed off. "See yuh, handsome!"
I sat for a while, thinking over what had happened. Then suddenly I realised that when Mi Mi hugged me, my legs didn't tremble, my heart didn't do a somersault and I didn't break out in sweat! I jumped with joy - I had succeeded! All those long hours in meditation had paid off! I was enlightened at last - no more cravings of the flesh! Yippee! I ran off to the kitchen in search of Head Nun to tell her the good news but she was not there. Instead I found Ning lapping up my favourite soya bean milk which she had left for me. Oh, that greedy pig! I ran up to him angrily and pushed him away. I even called him names.
It was then that I was hit by another bout of realisation. Cats who had attained enlightenment do not get angry nor do they call other cats names. Nor do they refuse to share their food. Oh no, I groaned. I had not succeeded - I wasn't enlightened - yet. I had to try harder.
One evening, while meditating under the custard apple tree again, I heard footsteps coming towards me and then, someone tapped my shoulder. Annoyed, I opened my eyes and saw that it was ... Mi Mi!
Oh no, what the hell is she doing here? Thought she had left town.
"Sorry, friend, to wake you up," she said sweetly.
Now even more irritated, I growled, "What do you want now?"
"No need to get all ruffled up," she said. "All I want is someone to talk to ....."
Drat it, this female is going to ruin everything for me, I thought to myself.
"Look, I don't run some kind of counselling service, why don't you just leave me alone?" I almost shouted. Then I realised I was perhaps being too harsh. After all, cats on the way to enlightenment must show love and compassion to all sentient beings.
"Alright, alright," I said, relenting a little. "But make it quick."
Mi Mi looked down, her green eyes suddenly wet with tears.
"Look," she said. "I know you're not too happy to see me but you're the only one I can trust and confide in."
I heaved a sigh and said, "Please, please get on with it. I have things to do."
"Well, after I left town, I met an old lady who asked whether she could take me home with her. I was hungry and tired, so I said okay and followed her. I found to my surprise that she lived in a beautiful country house surrounded by a large garden and lovely trees. She told me she had a pet cat and wanted me to be friends with him as he was rather lonely. So she took me to meet Percy and I was thrilled to see that he was a white Persian! I fell in love with him instantly - oh he was so handsome, so debonair! I've always wanted to meet a Persian and he was every inch what I had been dreaming of! But he was rather aloof, he didn't seem to take any interest in me even though I tried to look my sexiest. Most of the time he ignored me during my stay there.""So what happened next?" I asked, getting rather tired of what sounded like another of her love affairs.
"I was getting rather depressed because nothing I did could get his attention. I was beginning to think that that white snob thought he's too good for me. One day while I was in the kitchen talking to the housekeeper, she told me that Percy had been ....." Her voice trailed away.
"Percy had been what?" I asked impatiently.
"Neutered! You know the meaning of that?" she shrieked, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Oh! So... so that's why he showed no interest in you at all." I concluded, a little taken aback myself.
She nodded sadly. "My heart broke into a million pieces that day. I left the house and came back here."
"It's alright, Mi Mi," I managed to say, feeling a little sorry for her. "You''ll find someone else. There are thousands of guys out there, you know."
"But none like him," she said, sniffing. Then suddenly she sat up.
"Say, why don't I come and stay here with you? This temple looks very peaceful - I could join the nuns, do meditation ....."
I shrank back in horror. Seeing the look on my face, she laughed. "I was only kidding! Believe me, I'm not cut out to be a nun!" She winked at me, gave me a hug and sailed off. "See yuh, handsome!"
I sat for a while, thinking over what had happened. Then suddenly I realised that when Mi Mi hugged me, my legs didn't tremble, my heart didn't do a somersault and I didn't break out in sweat! I jumped with joy - I had succeeded! All those long hours in meditation had paid off! I was enlightened at last - no more cravings of the flesh! Yippee! I ran off to the kitchen in search of Head Nun to tell her the good news but she was not there. Instead I found Ning lapping up my favourite soya bean milk which she had left for me. Oh, that greedy pig! I ran up to him angrily and pushed him away. I even called him names.
It was then that I was hit by another bout of realisation. Cats who had attained enlightenment do not get angry nor do they call other cats names. Nor do they refuse to share their food. Oh no, I groaned. I had not succeeded - I wasn't enlightened - yet. I had to try harder.
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