PEACE
The dulcet tones of Lama Ramu wafted across the small auditorium. He had uttered just one word, ‘welcome’. He was about to divulge a secret to all of us present in his generous and reverent manner. This was his final stop in a month long tour of Buddhist groups along the entire east coast. From here he would return to Japan via Tibet where he had studied decades before. I was excited to hear his inciteful thoughts, his wise and meaningful words. The lights softened and then a scarlet spotlight cloaked him. Behind the lama, colours of soft indigo and gold formed the backdrop to the stage on which this holiest of human beings and the most revered teacher of the Buddhist faith was presenting words to inspire. He raised his hands to encompass us all and began.
‘One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world. My dearest faithful followers, our world of the 21st century is full of enraged souls with warped interpretations of the manner in which life should be led. Our brazen world leaders do not lead. They pretend to do so and many follow to their detriment. I shouldn’t frown upon their methods, but I do, because I am only human. Others object because they abhor these detrimental ways of leadership. They see the crippling effects of one world leader who this month has stopped aid to the needy in so many suffering countries. The country he represents was formerly a generous one, giving aid and food, medical assistance and opening their doors to allow suffering people in, to share what they as a rich and fortunate country had, to welcome them and to give them jobs, to offer freedom, love and compassion. But this is no longer happening. If just one of these world leaders took a moment to consider their actions, to go within themselves, to pause and not lead as they feel they should but instead lead with love and compassion, then it’s obvious that our world would be a better place, a world where love would be paramount and wars would cease.’
Lama Ramu paused to take a sip of his favourite drink, placed on the lecturn prior to his arrival. It was a juicy combination of anaar and amarood, pomegranate and guava. Holding up what appeared to be a sacred script bound in leather and highlighted with gold leaf, he continued…
Meet Oubaitori (pronounced: oh-buy-toh-ree). This dear followers is a graceful, ancient Japanese philosophy that reminds us never to compare ourselves to others, something our leaders do all the time. This philosophy comes from the imagery of four trees blooming in spring: the cherry, plum, peach, and apricot. Each flower blossoms in its own time and in its own way — yet none competes with the other. The word Oubaitori whispers a wisdom too easy to forget in a world chasing timelines and checklists and comparison of how each of us competes with the next in line. It recognises how each and every human being has their own unique pace of growth and beauty. For our leaders the philosophy is non-existent. Instead their road becomes a fight, a true battle and nearly always that battle becomes a war. Just look at Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Gaza and don’t be shocked, there are wars and conflicts almost everywhere, but not here in Australia my dear followers, you are the lucky ones…for now.
Your belief system involves sport and sunshine. Your religion is football. You all seem to abhor the authoritarian ways of other countries. You aim to be fair to all peoples, perhaps a little less to the true people of your country, the Aborigines, but the majority cares for all. Your love of sport could be a panacea for the world. It and music could end wars if only one of those leaders I spoke of relinquished their self-centred ways, their narcissism, their own socio-centric and distorted understanding of the real world.
Dear followers I want to invite you to come forward for my personal blessing. When you return to your seats please embrace the person beside you and utter just one word. That word is ‘peace’. Now please, come.
