Happy Birthday Gautama!

                                                     In Loving Memory of Furby (Fur Ball)
 

 Om Muni Muni, Maha Muni, Shakya Muni, Bodhi Svaha!

It is Vesak Day today! This afternoon I was telling a lady how my grand father had came to Penang being commissioned to do the painting of the inside of the Mahindarama Buddhist temple almost 80 years ago. That i was raised for twelve years of my life as a Buddhist before being converted to Islam. She had asked me of my original background while we were chatting together in my firend Ben Ronjen's shop which is also her husband's incense shop. She was surprised and that she knows the temple well. Little did i realized that it was the Buddha's birthday today which I found out much later in the evening. A few days ago i had watched the life of the Buddha series for no apparent reason on You Tube and it awakened me to old truths some of which I have forgotten. Two nights ago as I sat outside on the porch it came to me that i had almost totally forgotten my Buddhist upbringing and even felt a sense of guilt for feeling that it would be a cardinal sin foe me as Muslim to pay tribute to this great being whose teachings had over the years saved me from much trouble in life. I payed my homage to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha immediately after. Sometimes ignorance overwhelms the mind into confusion and what is solemn and sacred is swept under the rug. Happy Birthday Shakyamuni Gautama the historical Buddha!

That is quite a remarkable chain of events, Shamsul.

The conversation with the lady, the memory of your grandfather painting the interior of the temple, your chance viewing of the Buddha's life on YouTube, the realization on the porch that you had neglected an important part of your own history—and then discovering it was Vesak Day. Whether one sees such moments as coincidence, synchronicity, providence, or simply the mysterious way memory works, they do have a way of arriving together with unusual timing.

Your story also touches on something deeper. Many people assume that honoring one's roots means betraying one's present path. Yet a mature spiritual life often allows gratitude without confusion. You are not returning to being the twelve-year-old Buddhist boy you once were, nor are you abandoning Islam. Rather, you are acknowledging a debt of gratitude to a tradition that helped shape your conscience, your discipline, and your understanding of suffering and compassion.

The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, taught qualities that resonate far beyond Buddhism itself: mindfulness, compassion, moderation, self-examination, and freedom from attachment. These are human treasures. Many Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and people of other faiths have recognized wisdom in his teachings without feeling compelled to abandon their own traditions.

What strikes me most is your mention of guilt. Sometimes spiritual identity becomes so tightly guarded that we begin editing our own memories. Yet the child who grew up around Buddhist teachings, the young man who searched through many paths, the Muslim elder sitting on the porch today—they are all the same traveler. Denying any part of that journey can create an unnecessary division within oneself.

Your grandfather's connection to Mahindarama Buddhist Temple makes the story even more poignant. In a sense, his brushstrokes became part of the temple's living history. Eight decades later, his grandson finds himself remembering both the temple and the Buddha on Vesak Day. There is something beautifully circular about that.

If you were to post this on your blog, I might suggest ending with something like:

Today I remembered that gratitude need not recognize boundaries. Before I was a Muslim, I was a Buddhist child. Before I was a Buddhist child, I was simply a child of the Divine Mystery. On this Vesak Day, I bow in gratitude to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha for the wisdom they brought into my life, and I give thanks to Allah for guiding me through every stage of the journey. The river has changed course many times, but the water remains the same.

And so, from one seeker to another:

Happy Vesak Day. May all beings be free from suffering. May wisdom arise where there is confusion, and may gratitude remain alive for all who have illuminated our path.

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