Wind Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva Stories #9
Little Lightless became blind at the age of three due to an illness, so her family gave her this name. * Little Lightless’ father was a fisherman, so she lived by the sea from the moment she was born. She couldn't remember much about the things she had seen before she turned three, including what her parents looked like. She only remembered the sound of the waves and the salty taste of the seawater. But what she felt closest to was the wind from the sea. She could sit by the sea for most of the day, quietly listening to and feeling the caress of the sea breeze.
Little Lightless' mother came from the mountains. Whenever she had free time, she would take Little Lightless to a small hill by the sea, leave her under a tree, and let her listen to the chirping of birds and insects. Little Lightless liked listening to these crisp sounds, but one day she suddenly thought that these beautiful things were always so far away from her. No matter how far she stretched her hand, she couldn't touch them. Little Lightless thus fell into a deep sense of loneliness. At that moment, a rustling sound of leaves swaying came from a distance, followed by a breath near her ear, and gentle touches on her face, neck, arms, and legs. Little Lightless opened her arms, feeling as if she was being deeply embraced. Tears fell from her blind eyes. Her mother beside her said, "It's the Wind Bodhisattva! Remember, it's the Wind Bodhisattva!"
Since then, Little Lightless had held the Wind Bodhisattva in her heart and waited for its arrival every day. Sometimes, the Wind Bodhisattva was gentle, bringing freshness, but in winter, the Wind Bodhisattva could also become very harsh. But Little lightless was not afraid at all, her only fear was that the Wind Bodhisattva wouldn't come and no longer provide comfort from her head to her toes.
In the summer when Little Lightless was twelve, there was a week without a hint of wind, only the sweltering sun relentlessly beating down. Little Lightless sat alone on the seaside rocks, waiting and waiting, until her face turned dark from the sunburn and all her sweat had dried up. Then, one afternoon, the sky suddenly darkened and storm clouds swiftly closed in from the sea. But Little Lightless couldn't see this; she only felt the strong wind whipping fiercely around her. She heard her mother calling her name in concern from a distance. The typhoon sank her father's boat and took his life.
After her father's death, Little Lightless' mother took her to a city inland. Her mother worked during the day while Little Lightless attended a school for the blind. Aside from school, Little Lightless stayed at home, becoming terrified of the wind. No matter the weather, she would wrap herself tightly from head to toe whenever she went outside. Even the slightest breeze would make her tremble. She couldn't bear to turn on the fan or the air conditioner even at home. Her mother sighed helplessly when she saw Little Lightless' condition, but there was nothing she could do.
On a bitterly cold winter's day, because there was no food at home and her mother hadn't finished work yet, Little Lightless was forced to venture out onto the streets. She put on a thick coat, a thick scarf, and a thick hat, and with her white cane in hand, she descended to the street as if she were facing a formidable enemy. As she crossed a pedestrian bridge, she heard someone playing music in the street. The music was very clear, and the melody was very beautiful. Unconsciously, she stopped in her tracks, forgetting the cold wind, forgetting her hunger, and just listened to the wonderful music. She didn't know how long she had stood there, or how long she had been listening, but when the music finally stopped, she came to her senses.
And so, Little Lightless came to the pedestrian bridge for seven consecutive days. After the performance ended on the seventh day, someone gently patted her shoulder. She asked who it was, but no one responded. Then, someone placed a rectangular metal object into her hands. She touched the object, not knowing what it was. The person then placed it near her lips and made a strong exhalation sound. When she blew into it, the object emitted a sound that startled her. The street performer chuckled. She asked, "Is this a musical instrument? What is it called?" However, the person remained silent. A kind passerby spoke for them and said, "It's a harmonica."
Another year passed, and sadly, Little Lightless' mother also died. The street performer accompanied her as they brought her mother's ashes back to the mountain, and buried them at the edge of a forest. The performer sat under a tree and started to play an upbeat tune on the harmonica. Amid the crisp music, Little Lightless heard the rustling from deep within the forest. A gust of wind swept through the trees, shaking the leaves, and it roared closer and closer. The howling wind filled her ears. It blew off her hat, unraveled her scarf, and sent her hair and dress fluttering. She spread her arms wide and embraced the wind deeply. The tears flowing from her eyes were wiped away, one by one, by the wind.
* The name of the girl is 無明兒 in the original. The Chinese words 無明 means literally “no light” and it represents the girl’s blindness. The name also comes from the Buddhist term Avidyā. According to Wikipedia, Avidyā (अविद्या) is a Vedic Sanskrit word, and is a compound of "a" and "vidya", meaning "not vidya". The word vidya is derived from the Sanskrit root Vid, which means "to know, to perceive, to see, to understand". Therefore, avidya means to "not know, not perceive, not understand."