I woke up with a start a few mornings ago. It had suddenly dawned on me that I had been living in the temple for seven years! Yes, seven long years! When Head Nun found me, I was a mere kitten the size of her palm, lost and scared, and wandering around outside the temple. She had brought me back with her, fed me and taught me the Buddhist precepts. And that was the start of my days as a "cat monk". I had no doubt at that time that it was my calling. When my cousin, Li discovered my whereabouts and came to the temple to bring me back home to my parents, I refused to go with him. He was disappointed but understood how I felt - and I had never once regretted my decision to remain in the temple.
Living with the nuns has taught me a lot about patience, perseverance, forbearance, forgiveness, to name a few. One tends to think that nuns are angels with halos round their heads but as I found out, they're only human. They argue and quarrel among themselves like everyone else but in the end, come together again as good old friends. I have also learnt that it pays to keep my mouth shut especially when sparks are flying! Of course we have Head Nun to thank for all our happy days in the temple . She is a walking pillar of love and wisdom and undoubtedly a Bodhisattva.
I also realised when I woke up that I must be around seven years old too or a little older, I'm not sure. Wow, that's pretty old for a cat! There is an ancient proverb which claims that a cat has nine lives. How true that is I don't know but it seems to me that there is very little time left to prepare myself for my journey to Nirvana. It was a depressing thought.
"Vege Cat!" It was Head Nun. I looked up and was surprised to see her and the other nuns gathered around me.
"Head Nun, what's going on?"
She smiled and said gently, "Vege Cat, I don't know whether you know or not but you've been with us for seven years now."
"I just realised this morning, Head Nun," I said. "What a coincidence."
She smiled again and continued, "Well, we want you to know how much we love you and most importantly, we wish to congratulate you for being the best novice, cat novice, that is, that we know of. There is still room for improvement of course but all the same we wish to give you this little gift as a reward for your spiritual efforts." And she produced from behind her back a little grey robe just like what she and the other nuns wear for prayers. The nuns started to clap and offer their congratulations.
I gasped, tears welling up in my eyes. "My own robe at last! Oh, Head Nun, I don't know what to say ...."
"Don't say then," she replied. "You have graduated to the same rank as the junior nuns here but that doesn't mean you can rest on your laurels. You still have a lot to learn and I expect you to work harder from now onwards especially on your meditation, you understand?"
I nodded, words failing me.
"Good! Now after breakfast, we shall proceed to the prayer hall as usual for our morning prayers."
After they had gone, I sat looking down at my robe, my heart bursting with pride and joy. All those hours spent in meditation and chanting had paid off. Head Nun said I had been a good novice, probably the best, if I may add and no one else deserves the robe more than I do. Yay! I felt so elated, it was as though I had just been given a passport to Nirvana!
I put on my robe excitedly, ran to the mirror to look and it was a perfect fit! I turned this way and that, admiring myself. Maybe in my previous life, I had been a disciple of Lord Buddha, that's why I look so handsome in the robe, I thought. I even pictured myself at Lord Buddha's lotus feet listening to His sweet voice praising me ... "Oh, what a clever cat!"
I then waltzed round the kitchen two or three times to show my new robe to some devotees who were there. I even posed for photos, who knows they may get published in the papers and I will be famous! I could already see the headlines ... "First Cat in the World To Become Buddhist Novice"! I was not only going to be famous but rich as well!!!
In my excitement, I hadn't noticed the time and was almost late for prayers. I danced to the prayer hall, head in the air and as I entered the hall, whoops! I slipped on the newly mopped floor and fell flat on my face. For a moment, there was a stunned silence, then all the nuns burst out laughing.
Well, didn't they say "Pride comes before a fall" - it certainly did. I was behaving like an idiot. Head Nun was right, I still have a lot to learn.
Living with the nuns has taught me a lot about patience, perseverance, forbearance, forgiveness, to name a few. One tends to think that nuns are angels with halos round their heads but as I found out, they're only human. They argue and quarrel among themselves like everyone else but in the end, come together again as good old friends. I have also learnt that it pays to keep my mouth shut especially when sparks are flying! Of course we have Head Nun to thank for all our happy days in the temple . She is a walking pillar of love and wisdom and undoubtedly a Bodhisattva.
I also realised when I woke up that I must be around seven years old too or a little older, I'm not sure. Wow, that's pretty old for a cat! There is an ancient proverb which claims that a cat has nine lives. How true that is I don't know but it seems to me that there is very little time left to prepare myself for my journey to Nirvana. It was a depressing thought.
"Vege Cat!" It was Head Nun. I looked up and was surprised to see her and the other nuns gathered around me.
"Head Nun, what's going on?"
She smiled and said gently, "Vege Cat, I don't know whether you know or not but you've been with us for seven years now."
"I just realised this morning, Head Nun," I said. "What a coincidence."
She smiled again and continued, "Well, we want you to know how much we love you and most importantly, we wish to congratulate you for being the best novice, cat novice, that is, that we know of. There is still room for improvement of course but all the same we wish to give you this little gift as a reward for your spiritual efforts." And she produced from behind her back a little grey robe just like what she and the other nuns wear for prayers. The nuns started to clap and offer their congratulations.
I gasped, tears welling up in my eyes. "My own robe at last! Oh, Head Nun, I don't know what to say ...."
"Don't say then," she replied. "You have graduated to the same rank as the junior nuns here but that doesn't mean you can rest on your laurels. You still have a lot to learn and I expect you to work harder from now onwards especially on your meditation, you understand?"
I nodded, words failing me.
"Good! Now after breakfast, we shall proceed to the prayer hall as usual for our morning prayers."
After they had gone, I sat looking down at my robe, my heart bursting with pride and joy. All those hours spent in meditation and chanting had paid off. Head Nun said I had been a good novice, probably the best, if I may add and no one else deserves the robe more than I do. Yay! I felt so elated, it was as though I had just been given a passport to Nirvana!
I put on my robe excitedly, ran to the mirror to look and it was a perfect fit! I turned this way and that, admiring myself. Maybe in my previous life, I had been a disciple of Lord Buddha, that's why I look so handsome in the robe, I thought. I even pictured myself at Lord Buddha's lotus feet listening to His sweet voice praising me ... "Oh, what a clever cat!"
I then waltzed round the kitchen two or three times to show my new robe to some devotees who were there. I even posed for photos, who knows they may get published in the papers and I will be famous! I could already see the headlines ... "First Cat in the World To Become Buddhist Novice"! I was not only going to be famous but rich as well!!!
In my excitement, I hadn't noticed the time and was almost late for prayers. I danced to the prayer hall, head in the air and as I entered the hall, whoops! I slipped on the newly mopped floor and fell flat on my face. For a moment, there was a stunned silence, then all the nuns burst out laughing.
Well, didn't they say "Pride comes before a fall" - it certainly did. I was behaving like an idiot. Head Nun was right, I still have a lot to learn.
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