sooooooooo TIB what is the story !!!!!!
How easily the mind begins to speculate! I think I have to put an end to this.
~o~
It happened when I was living in a Buddhist meditation centre in France. We were a small community of residents - around 25 people year round, expanding to 150+ people during big meditation programs and the summer. During the quieter periods there was quite a lot of work to go round between us in terms of housekeeping type jobs alongside our usual roles (we had 25 toilets for a start!).
We had a work meeting every morning and at the Monday meeting each week we volunteered for the housecleaning jobs. There was a fellow member of the community from Holland and she had ideas above her place in the grand scheme of things. Every Monday as soon as the person running the meeting said "let's do the work Rota", Lisa - as I shall call her - would shout out "I'll clean the Shrine rooms". This had gone on for the whole six months she had been a member of the community by the time I got fed up with it.
One particular Monday I decided to take action. When Lisa volunteered to clean the Shrine rooms (meditation halls), I decided to butt in.
"Lisa", I said, "You've been here six months and I have noticed you always volunteer to clean the Shrine rooms. Don't you think it's about time you offered to do one of the dirtier jobs - like cleaning a toilet or something".
"I am the practice co-ordinator", whined Lisa, "I didn't come here to clean. My work is too important. I don't need to spend my time cleaning toilets".
"Well Lisa, it's like this", said I, "every day you use the toilets and every day someone cleans them. I make a point of volunteering to clean at least one bathroom a week because we all have to take turns at things or the community won't work. Basically Lisa I am fed up of cleaning your shit off the toilet and noticing you never volunteer to take your turn. I think you should clean some shitty toilets like the rest of us do".
At this point Lisa started shouting and so did about twenty other people. A great hullabaloo began. After about two or three minutes of everyone shouting at each other one of the Directors of the centre decided to calm things down. This woman had no idea of how to achieve anything however so rather than trying to achieve a sensible resolution she tried using a Buddhist saying as a platitude and excuse:
"I am sure it's fine if Lisa cleans the Shrine room", she shouted over everyone to quiet them, "After all - it's all one taste".
After a moments silence I stood as if to leave and said, "excellent - if it's all one taste I am sure no one minds if I go and take a shit on the shrine - that way Lisa can take her turn at cleaning up other people's shit like any normal person would".
~o~ brief interlude for world war three to commence ~o~
Once world war three calmed down (that took ten minutes or so), the guy running the meeting shut everyone up, turned to Lisa and asked "Lisa, which toilet would you like to clean?"
~o~
And that is how Lisa came to clean toilets and I came to be called "The Irreverent Buddhist".
In the Dhamma,
Matthew