Oh Fearless One

I went for a walk in the park. I saw a pigeon on the ground that could not fly. People kept water and lots of food near him, but the pigeon wasn’t interested. I saw two ladies trying to get some help. I asked the lady, “What are you planning to do with this bird? “

She said, “Let us place the pigeon on a high wall to keep him safe”. 

She was afraid to hold him, and so I was. I knew how birds could react to human touch. I went close to the bird and hesitantly touched it. Strangely, the bird had no resistance. Maybe the bird wanted help.

I held him and found no injuries on his body. I tried to place him on a high platform, but I couldn’t find a safe spot. Without much thinking, I decided to take him home. Holding the bird in my hand, I started walking. I thought it must have been uncomfortable for him, unable to move between my palms, but he was so relaxed. I placed him on the balcony and kept water and food for him.

The next morning, when I opened the door, the bird walked into my room comfortably as the owner of the house. He enjoyed himself but still could not fly. I thought, “Why is this little bird not afraid of anything?”

He was not eating or drinking and limped occasionally. It came to me that he might be an aged old pigeon. He was meditating with me; rather, I was meditating with him. I enjoyed his company.  

In the evening, I sent him back to the balcony; he offered no resistance again. Late in the evening, while I was watching television, he sat comfortably in silence and relaxed. I watched him through the window.

I was eager to meet him the next morning. When I opened the door, he started taking quick, small circles to express his happiness.

We again enjoyed each other’s company. In the afternoon, I brought water close to his beak, but he turned his head to the other side. The next early morning, it was the first day of Navratri, I found him dead peacefully.  I buried him in the park. 

I remember my own time in the hospital after my daughter’s birth, when I had come close to death. My body felt like a prison. Watching others eat felt strange and meaningless. I had lost interest in everything. I felt trapped inside the cage of my body and longed to escape it. It was a dark and suffocating time. 

The bird reminded me of my master, Per.H.Wibe. Despite his fragile outer condition- body stiffness, sleepless nights, the struggle to stand, lie down, walk, or even change clothes- his will to live remains unwavering. His spirit never collapses.

Sometimes, I can feel my master’s physical suffering, yet his inner condition is beyond imagination. The body weakens, but his silence grows stronger each day. Where most of us would beg for escape, he remains steady, without complaint, rather grateful to live. That is his strength. It shines out loud. A falling body, yet no fear. No panic. No anger. As if he trusts existence itself. 

Perhaps this is the hidden purpose of life – to discover the place within us that pain cannot reach.  Peace is possible even in helplessness.