Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Wednesday 11th August 2010 | 6 comments
This month has been a rollercoaster, both in the outside world and in my work and family worlds. Lots of activity, lots of distractions, sudden changes of plans...you get the drift.
Then I remembered the Buddhist story about the tigers and the strawberry. Do you know it? I love this tale for its power to bring us to the present, no matter what the distractions of day-to-day life. Hopefully none of us will face real tigers in the near future (or at all, really) but it is a powerful metaphor all the same:
One day, while walking through the wilderness, a woman came across a fierce tiger. She ran for her life, and the tiger gave chase. The woman came to the edge of a cliff, and the tiger was almost upon her. Seeing no other options, she grabbed onto a vine growing on the edge of the cliff and climbed down.
Halfway down the cliff, the woman looked up and saw the tiger at the top, growling and baring its teeth. She looked down and saw more tigers at the bottom, roaring while they waited for her to fall.
She could see two mice, one white and one black, on the vine above her. As if she didn't have enough to worry about, the mice started gnawing at the vine.
She knew that the mice would soon gnaw through the vine to a point where the vine could no longer support her weight. It would break and she would fall. She tried shooing them away, but they kept coming back.
Just at that moment, she noticed a strawberry growing on the face of the cliff, not far away from where she was. It looked plump and ripe, and very juicy. Holding onto the vine with one hand and reaching out with the other, she picked it.
With a tiger above, another below, and two mice continuing to gnaw on her vine, the woman tasted the strawberry and found it absolutely delectable. In fact, she had never tasted such delicious fruit.
This must be the ultimate story about seizing the moment, about not giving in to fear about the future and taking time to appreciate what life offers you in the present.
If you Google 'Strawberry tigers' you'll find many versions of this story and the layers of metaphor it contains - the tigers representing the past and the future, the impossibility of going back in time and changing things, and the risks of dwelling too much on either the past or the future. The bottom tiger could be seen as death and the vine the way we cling to our life. The mice? The passing of time, day (white) and night (black).
And the strawberry is of course a metaphor for taking what is in front of us, what is available to enjoy in the present moment, no matter whatever else is going on. Easier said than done of course (often I don't even see the strawberries, let alone take the time to pluck and eat them, and as for savouring the experience...).
Recent strawberries of mine have included finding a great office space, picking up some really interesting new business, hanging out with a friend I haven't seen for ages, a trip to Canberra with my son, and realising I actually do feel happy underneath all the busyness of my life.
Take a look around you: What are the strawberries in your life?
Never heard this one, Joanna. I bet Eckhart Tolle would dig it the most. As do I. Many thanks! P. :)
Thanks Paul - it certainly says a lot about the Power of Now! I hadn't connected the two, but absolutely that's it.
hi,
yes i've known a much shorter version of this - thanks for giving it the fuller context- or the context in full colour...
it brings to mind the Chuang Tzu Story - The Useless
Hui Tzu said to Chuang Tzu:
“All you teaching is centered on what has no use.”
Chuang Tzu replied:
“If you have no appreciation for what has no use,
you cannot begin to talk about what can be used.
“The earth for example, is broad and vast,
But of all this expanse a man uses only a few inches
Upon which he happens to be standing at the time.
“Now suppose you suddenly take away
all that he actually is ot using,
so that all around his feet a gulf yawns,
and he stands in the void
with nowhere solid except under each foot,
how long will he be able to use what he is using?
Hui Tzu said:
“It would cease to serve any purpose.”
Chuang Tzu concluded:
“This shows the absolute necessity
of what is supposed to have no use.”.
Jennifer, good to hear from you and thanks for the story. Most interesting, and I expect there are more layers to discover on a second (or third) reading. Thank you!
Nice Story!
It really makes us thinking about life. I thought about my post-graduation options, my family, friends...
The tiger character reminded me to another story.
There was a American man and a Japanese man in a Safari, in Africa. A lion was nearby and they had no chance of running. The Japanese began to wear his shoes. The American one, acting impulsively, made fun of Japanese and tried to disqualify him: "Do you think you are going to run faster than lion?" The Japanese answered: "No, but faster than you."
Acting comprehensively is better than impulsively. Information is always useful.
Alisson, I like this story a lot, on many levels. Thanks for adding it to our little collection here.