I thought it was raining, but it was just the dew of the wet and cold night; the dense white haze dropped and saturated the dark sky. The road to Varanasi was still quite far. We packed up and set off in the middle of a moonless and starless night; the freezing wind blowing from time to time sent bitter cold to the hearts of the foot-traveling Sangha.

Having stopped for instant noodles, we hit the road again. The sky has been gloomy in the last two days with only paint-like white fog—day and night without a single ray of sunshine throughout the long road.

After noon, Sổ (Yellow) still stayed close to the group leader, while Spotty Āloka woke up and walked off unnoticed. I called his name many times but only silence returned. The Sangha took off, but Spotty Āloka was still nowhere to be seen. Usually, after a short while, Spotty would catch up with us. However, this time the distance was farther; I asked around, but no one saw Spotty. From time to time, I looked back, and there was still no sign of Spotty. I thought to myself, “Why don’t you listen to Master? So playful that you forget about time. If you keep doing it, you will lose all your merits. Now that the Sangha is leaving, where are you?”

After going about five kilometers, I stopped and waited for the group of Sangha that came later and asked for Spotty’s whereabouts, but everyone shook their heads. Is our kammic relationship – teacher and disciple – ending here? The “pilgrimage for dhamma teachings” is now continuing without you; is the seed to the Path of Enlightenment for you sufficient for only that much?

I explained to one of the organizers about going back to try and find Spotty Āloka. Near the place we stopped for lunch, I saw him. He excitedly ran to me. His whole body smelled of feces, making my clothes reek of feces, too. I immediately put a collar on his neck. In the past, Buddhist monk Xuanzang had to place a golden headband on Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) to tame him; ironically, now I also had Spotty wearing a collar, but whether I can tame him depends on his kamma. We, teacher and disciple, started on the road I had already passed. We crossed the highway to a small street, then to town and the market; everywhere we went, endless curious eyes looked at us.

We reached the longest bridge in India, with only two lanes and a footpath. Āloka was afraid to walk on the footpath because it was high and the bridge bounced each time a car passed. Āloka climbed down to the car lane and walked next to the side of the path; each passing car scared Āloka, making him lean close to the side, not daring to go. I walked down to the car lane and guard behind to help him ease the fear. Finally, he was willing to climb onto the footpath to walk. After walking for a long time, we still couldn’t see the riverbank. The bridge still seemed too long, and the teacher and the student were both tired.

Perhaps someone will think that I am attached to Spotted Āloka, because after many difficulties and him constantly getting lost, I still searched for him. There is no attachment here, simply because I realized Āloka has had a kammic relationship with the Sangha since I met him. Having traveled more than six hundred kilometers and met thousands of wandering dogs like Spotty Āloka, only Āloka has the willpower to accompany us for more than twenty days. Despite having to experience hunger, thirst, and fatigue, he persists and does not give up. Even we sometimes can’t walk, let alone a being like Spotty. He is still young, active, and playful, so sometimes, he gets lost due to distractions instead of trying to leave the Sangha.

Therefore, I also want to help create favorable conditions for Spotty while I still can. Isn’t the Buddha just as patient with his students as a mother who loves her child? And when He wanted to help some beings, He didn’t give up on them despite all the hardships. I also try to practice the Buddha’s teachings while I still have favorable conditions to do that. After all, Āloka is also a pitiable being and deserves to be protected.

Finally, the teacher and the student were able to rejoin the group right before dark. I led Spotty Āloka to report to the leader of the Sangha for advice. Then, he dropped down and was immediately fast asleep!

#chuahuongdao #chuahuongdaotemple #sbsstupas
#buddha #buddhism #Dhutanga #dhammajourney

Source: Dhammacetiya
#sbsstupas