Bodhidharma was dejected. His objective of divulging the immense knowledge that he possessed seemed to be going nowhere. People were frankly unconcerned with anything that wasn’t of use in their mundane lives. The deeper meanings of life meant nothing to them. One day, as Bodhidharma was trudging morosely down a deserted street, he heard a strange call. He turned to see a speaking parrot inside a cage. As Bodhidharma came near the cage, the parrot recited a small poem: Mind come from the West, Mind come from the West, Please teach me the way, To escape from this cage.
The initial amusement that Bodhidharma felt on spotting a talking parrot turned to considering teaching the same creature important life lessons that humans failed to understand. If the parrot can talk, it can surely understand. Besides, this would also test the efficacy of his philosophy, whether it’s merely confined to words or has a transformative effect. So, Bodhidharma looked at the parrot and recited a small poem: To escape from the cage, Stick both legs straight out, Close both eyes tight, That’s the way to escape.
The parrot heard Bodhidharma’s words intently, as if soaking in the meaning. Then it lay upside down, its eyes closed and legs facing the sky, all the while holding its breath. Bodhidharma was both amused and elated. It was evident that the parrot has understood his words. As he saw the owner of the parrot approach the cage, Bodhidharma moved away a bit. Seeing the parrot lying upside down, the owner opened the cage to inspect the parrot. Even though the parrot wasn’t breathing, its body was warm. Before the owner could understand what ailed the parrot, the parrot fluttered its wings and rose up in the sky to fly far away from its cage.
Spiritual interpreters see the symbolism in the story as follows: the parrot as consciousness, the cage as the body, and the poem as the teaching to free ourselves from this bondage.
On the mundane level, we are the parrot, stuck in the cage of our limited view of everything, while the divine force—represented here by Bodhidharma—is forever crossing our paths and answering our queries, be they concerning our spiritual quest or worldly duties. Wish we could lend an ear to it and comprehend the hidden meanings.
The divine force is forever crossing our paths and answering our queries. Wish we could lend an ear to it and comprehend the hidden meanings.
