i was doing tai chi on the beach this morning and madie walked by, and we started talking and she said that she had taken her daughter to school at 6:20. i was surprised that they start school so early and asked her about it...and she said that first they sweep the school and then pray and at 7 they begin to study and come home at 1. so again...the sweeping...already in school they are being trained...i had to find out what this sweeping was all about...
then caspar came by, and i thought that he is one to know, since he has a western mind, is very intelligent and knowledgeable and also studied hinduism and balinese life style some years back with a balinese man...so i asked him what the sweeping is all about...and he said that it is just so things will be clean because there are ants around ....i didn't buy that version...
and then i saw deewah, the driver who had explained all about hinduism to me during my 3 hour drive from the airport as i interrogated him in depth about everything...i asked him if he has a moment because i want to ask him a question...(that in itself is rhetorical because i don't think they are ever rushing off somewhere or busy, because what is unfolding this moment is exactly what is supposed to be, so he would never say that there is something more important than what god just brought him: me1)
so i asked him: why is everybody sweeping all the time?
"so it will be nice and clean."
"but all the time??!"
and with a gesture from the skies in his gentle voice and smiling face he said "all the time dirt comes, so you must clean all the time."
this answer was already getting closer to what i was looking for, and reminded me of an answer i once received from someone in the spiritual practice i was doing, that said: "it is just like weeding...no matter how much you weed, new weeds are all the time shooting up and you have to just keep weeding" (and i, who decided a few years ago that "I am going to make a garden that does NOT have any weeds in it!")
so then i asked him: you are speaking about physical dirt, or religious?
and as usual once i have pushed him in the corner he is willing to share his bits of wisdom with me again, and even reminding me of things he has already told me (apropos plastic in the sea...which i will soon explain...)
"There is cleanliness in your environment, cleanliness in your interactions with other people, and cleanliness in your worship. all 3 of these need to be in balance; not only keep your environment clean, and relationships are not with love, and not only pay attention to the relationships but your environment is dirty, and not only worship, but your environment and your relationships are not nice....all 3 in balance...all the time..
i asked him from what age they begin teaching this,
age 4 about...
and if you are in school and they make you sweep the floor and you don't want to, do they punish you?
and with his gentle smile and patience and high voice and compassionate eyes he answered: the child will want to be like all the other children who are sweeping, and you show him how they are all doing it so happily, and doesn't he want to be together with them and like them too?
and what about gender? does only your wife sweep? or you?
let us say that my daughter sweeps before she goes to school, then there is dirt, during the day and i come home from work and see the leaves that have fallen on the path, so i take the broom and sweep, and then later she comes from school and wants to sweep again...they see the parents sweeping and naturally are curious and want to imitate so whenever someone is not using the broom, they take it and sweep and whenever someone is not busy, you can sweep, because there is always something to sweep
so I guess it is a good pastime for spare time...a spiritual practice of sweeping...
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