Passport to Nirvana - Pt.2

Since my "graduation", I felt that life had become more difficult.  For one thing, I could feel Head Nun's eagle eye always on me.  She was like a huge falcon ready to pounce on me should I dawdle or fall back in my spiritual practice.  Doubling my efforts in chanting and meditation was also wearing me out.  I was beginning to think I wasn't cut out to be a cat monk after all!

One evening, Head Nun approached me and said, "Vege Cat, I want you to conduct the dawn chanting and meditation sessions from tomorrow onwards for a week."

I was a little surprised but Head Nun would not take "No" for an answer.  So the next morning, I put on my grey robe and was at the prayer hall at ten minutes to five.  No one was there yet but a few minutes after five, two nuns drifted in.  After them, two or three more and it was ten minutes after five before all the nuns showed up. They sat down and looked at me, some giggled, others whispered to each other and one or two actually snored out loud.  Well, I had to do my duty, so I cleared my throat and greeted them with a loud  "Ah Mi To Fo". Normally they would respond with another "Ah Mi To Fo" but now, all I heard was more giggling and twittering.  It was clear that they were not going to do any chanting or meditation that morning.

"The Tock Tock Machine"

I I knew I had to get their attention and suddenly I thought of what I call "The Tock Tock Machine".  The nuns sometimes use a wooden stick with a lotus shaped head to beat on it when they chant and it gives a "tock tock" sound. I ran to it, grabbed the stick and rapped it hard on the machine several times .... tock! tock! tock! The talking stopped.

I ran back to my place and began chanting the opening prayer.  The response was far from what I expected.  A few chanted half-heartedly while the others either slept or feigned meditation.

After the session was over, I remained in the prayer hall, quite crestfallen.  It was obvious the nuns didn't take me seriously.  After all, who had ever heard of a cat leading a prayer session?

But I was determined not to let Head Nun down.  The next morning, I was on time again and like the previous morning, the nuns drifted in one by one.  This time I had a plan.  As soon as all were seated, I ran to the huge drum at the end of hall and beat on it - hard.  It gave a great big boooom that sounded like a bomb exploding.  Some of the nuns actually fell off their cushions in shock but it did the trick.  It woke them up.  "Okay, you guys, let's chant!"  I yelled.  Unfortunately, ten minutes later, they had again fallen asleep.

At the end of the session, I sat down and sighed.  It was going to be more difficult than I thought.  I didn't want to tell Head Nun that the nuns were not co-operating; she had given me a job to do because she was confident I could do it.  I had to persevere.

The next morning, I almost reluctantly went to the prayer hall.  As usual the nuns staggered in half asleep.  They lounged around, talked and laughed, then to my surprise suddenly all sat up straight. When I began to chant the opening prayer, they all joined in boisterously.  The whole prayer hall felt like it was going to explode with their loud chanting.  Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement and turned to see .... Head Nun!  So!  That was why they were all behaving like saintly little children!  Head Nun stayed on for the whole session and at its conclusion, she motioned all not to move but to remain where we were.

For a while she was silent as she looked at her nuns, then she said, "You all know the life story of the Buddha. In order to achieve enlightenment, young Siddhartha sat under a fig tree and meditated until he transcended suffering. At the end of lengthy meditation and  a mental battle with Mara, the God of Desire, he became awakened and was then known as the Buddha.  I ask each one of you - why did you come to this temple?  To be awakened or to have fun?  Think about it."
 
For the rest of the week, I prayed and meditated with a group of little angels who came on time and who remained awake throughout.

Bless you, Head Nun.  Isn't there anything in the temple that you don't know about?