A Lesson in Attachment aka Mothers & Sons

The peacock feather that normally stands in the little vase next to the steering wheel of my VW was missing yesterday morning. I was quite distracted driving into work, for it was the first time since Alan gave me this beautiful car for my birthday 2 years ago, that I was driving without my feather.

Isn't attachment a terrible habit of our human nature? The Buddha had said that attachment is one of the major causes of suffering and yet there I was, distracted and a little upset - over a peacock feather. I kept looking down at every stop-light to see if perhaps it had gone into hiding in the dark crevices between the seats or under the mats. But it was no where to be found. Finally, I took hold of my senses and like any good disciple of Ajahn Brahm, I recalled a story he had told one cold Friday night last winter at the Dhammaloka Centre. I comforted myself ...

… could be good, could be bad.

All new Beetles arrive with an artificial gerbera these days. A little token that brings to mind the flower power days of the 1970’s when VW Beetles and Kombis were hippie status symbols. Alan and I are perhaps to an extent, old hippies – we dress unconventionally in our personal time, reject a lot of what is socially and politically accepted, we are into eastern religions, universal peace and love, the scented smoke of nag champa incense, eating dhal and rice and we get the picture when it comes to Mother India. (As in the Motherland, not the movie.)

The regal and beautiful peacock is the national bird of India. Peacocks are considered sacred and their feathers which they shed so frequently are thought to be auspicious and protective. In both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the peacock is often associated with deities and royalty. My friend Agnes, had given me a peacock feather shortly after she was married to my cousin Richard and through the years I have used it in different displays.

My new car arrived with a red gerbera. Can any of you actually see me with a plastic gerbera? It sat there rigid and clueless having no meaning whatsoever. I thought, if flower-power was meant to be a representation of the values in opposition to that of our established culture, this poor red imitation did not stand a chance! Plus it was not esthetically pleasing in any way to my artistic senses. The peacock feather on the other hand, with all its regal associations and protective properties, seemed to be up to the challenge - and it suited Jaadoo. Yes, Alan and I named my 'little boy' Beetle, Jaadoo. It means Magic in Hindi. I am not superstitious but must admit, as it has been with Jaadoo and me from the start, it has become a sort of a talisman for ... both of us.

And now it was missing ... I am being ridiculous about my attachment to the damn thing, I actually want to write a blog entry about it.

For a change, it was a quiet day at work and during my lunch break, I typed in ‘peacock feather’ in Google. I was quite amazed to discover several things more about peacocks and that Buddha’s mother, Maya Devi or Queen Maya as she is known in English, is depicted as having a peacock as her vehicle.

The name Maya appears in Greco-Roman Mythology as Maia, the Earth Goddess. Maia was seen as the source of the spring season – when flowers return to life. May, the month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere is named after her. Interestingly, in the Christian Calender, the month of May is known to Catholics as the Month of Mary.

These bits of information about Maia I knew because Donny, my breathing encyclopedia on religion and mythology had talked to me about it some time ago. But what I discovered today is that Maia is also referred to as the Great Mother of Magic, the Virgin Mother who gave birth to Hermes - The Enlightened One of which the planet Mercury is named for. Hermes which in Sanskrit means … wait for this ... Buddha.

I found this interconnection very fascinating - all these blooming (pardon the pun) mothers and sons and the powerful mysteries surrounding their magical stories. Maya was the Mother of the Buddha - who was born, became enlightened and died on the days of the full moon in the month of May. Maia the Queen of May, Great Mother of Magic was the Virgin Mother of Hermes. And Blessed Mary, was Virgin Mother of Jesus and also the Queen of May. Could this all be just coincidence? Or are they all one and the same? Is it, as Gnostics would see it, just another example of the cyclical nature of existence as part of life within this system?

When I received the sacrament of baptism as a baby I was given the name Mary. When I took the 5 Precepts to live a Buddhist lifestyle last year - I felt it was only fitting for me to also choose the name of a mother, Buddha's mother, as my new Buddhist name. Now I discover that my choice of a peacock feather and the name that Alan and I have given to Little Jaadoo - have meaning as well. It made me smile at the incredible links - my new name, the peacock feather, Little Magic - and the flowers associated with VWs - I felt thankful to be a part of such a network.

In the afternoon, before driving off and heading home, I made another search in Jaadoo for my peacock feather. I found it partially under the driver’s seat. Amazing that I did not see it before! Perhaps, it went into hiding to give me a chance to make the discoveries I made today. Perhaps, it is worth a blog entry after all. I laughed to myself as I started the engine and I remembered ...

… could be good, could be bad.