The Bat

 Thích Nhất Hạnh’s poem, “Call Me By My True Names”, asks the student to see life’s journey as good, even in the face of the bad.

I’m simplifying it here, but many of the greatest thinkers throughout history have wrestled with sorrow as a way of questioning the existence of a benevolent God. The awakened Hanh understood the principle of opposites—an idea as old as recorded human thought.

My aunt is losing her physical body to cancer as I write. To my knowledge, she hasn’t done anything wicked enough to deserve the suffering she’s enduring right now. So, I find myself feeling betrayed by God—the same God I pray to and ask for her comfort. “How could you?” I ask.

God never responds in words. But the other night, a tiny, helpless bat found its way into our house. I told the bat that it would need to relocate, and I gently pursued it to that end. When it landed on a foam panel in our studio, I covered it with a bucket and slid a stiff canvas between the open end of the bucket and the wall, trapping the winged intruder inside. I carefully walked outside, releasing the little creature onto a table, offering it water. I didn’t know how long it had been trapped inside. The bat opened its mouth, but not to accept my offer—its warning was clear. I knew better than to get too close.

In a way, my aunt’s suffering feels similar. God doesn’t want to hurt her. Like the bat, He’s trying to guide her, to relocate her. Once this event ends, she will be in an open, wonderful place, at peace. As we, too, are being relocated—from this story to the next—we can make the transition more difficult with our resistance and reluctance.

Why is there suffering? Teachers of awakening have always taught that suffering is necessary for us to know what is not suffering—pure Joy.

I rewrote a Bible passage from Romans so the tiny bat could understand what happened recently:

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in you if I can get you outside again. As a bat, you were trapped by the walls and windows of our home. Not willingly. You should be delivered from that bondage, to have the liberty of the outdoors. As creatures, it was necessary for us both to suffer together while we resolved the trouble. And just so you know, Mr. Bat, I am also waiting for the same kind of redemption—the redemption of my own body.” ~ Bat Bible, MCV