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5. Namaste, Beautiful Souls

“Namaste (Hello)” 

I awkwardly greeted in Hindi to an Indian lady  passing by me. Unexpectedly, the cold, expressionless face—like a frozen wasteland blanketed in pitch-black darkness slowly warmed with the gentle glow of spring morning sunlight, and a bright smile blossomed like a sunflower in full bloom. I gathered my courage to ask for her name. "Yapka naam kya hai?" (What is your name?) She was startled at my Hindi —and then shyly told me her name, but it was too long for me to remember.

An Indian boy  walking toward me stepped aside to give me the way. "Dhanyavaad" (Thank you)" I said, waving my half-raised hand  in gratitude. He gave me a smile as bright as  a hundred fluorescent lights lit up all at once. That was the beginning. The few clumsy words of Hindi from my mouth became a magical key to the doors of their hearts. Their attitude toward changed, and so did the way I saw them.

I wanted to get emotionally closer to them. So,I praised the wonder of Ayurvedic medicine, the beauty of the Taj Mahal, the awe-inspiring Ellora caves carved from an entire rock mountain. I also pointed out the lack of creativity in Hollywood movies, while admiring how abundant story telling of Bollywood films vividly portrayed diverse lives in the rich manner. My interest and shallow understanding in Indian culture brought surprise and excitement to their faces. I noticed their pride in theri culture and identity finally felt respected.  

OnceI let go of vague, baseless prejudices , I could begin to see them from different angles.    

They were the fathers working like a warrior to support their families burdened with heavy responsibilities on their shoulder, the mothers whose hands had grown rough and knuckles thick from  sacrifice and devotion to their family, sons and daughters living cramped in humble rooms to send more money back home, struggling international students continuing hard labor to pay for expensive tuition. 

They retained the dignity and purity of spirit at the lowest points of life, amidst the hardship, . I was mesmerized by a beauty of their soul so radiant it could hardly be described as mere brightness.It was a powerful experience—an unforgettable moment. Perhaps, in that moment, I saw the Holy Spirit, the Buddha-nature, or the divinity within human beings  Obviously, my spiritual eyes were opening.  Like a bird breaking out of its shell for coming into existence,a new version of myself was being born. They were acting as midwives, helping me through a smooth delivery. From the muddy waters, a lotus was beginning to bloom. 

This blog was originally written in Korean by Young Hwa Son and first published on Brunch, a Korean writing platform. The link is provided below.  https://brunch.co.kr/brunchbook/heavenwarehouse



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