In this story,
As usual,
Different lessons can be learned,
Which come to us as a whole,
In an organic and subtle way.
Perhaps what we distinguish in this story more clearly is that we have two famous sanctuaries,
International pilgrimage sites,
Where thousands of pilgrims go,
Making great efforts and putting great devotion into play,
Which have been erected from the remains of a donkey,
Certainly a fun and shocking contradiction.
But perhaps it is justified,
Since the motivation behind these mausoleums is an emotion as purifying as it is heartbreaking,
Which reflects a deep love for life.
We can imagine Nasruddin's great odyssey,
10 years traveling,
Sleeping outdoors or wherever hospitality were offered to a pilgrim.
He stays in the communities of the different masters he visited,
The long days of travel through remote places of overwhelming beauty.
We can glimpse how many surprises,
Joys and incidents involved a pilgrimage of such magnitude.
Furthermore,
When you travel alone,
Situations are experienced with great intensity,
So his donkey had been his great company,
His great support,
With whom he had established a solid bond,
Having shared this great chapter of his life.
Therefore,
The death of the donkey was a trigger for a great emotion.
He was probably not aware of how much he appreciated this companion.
I imagine that an intense and deep emotion suddenly surfaced,
Overwhelming Nasruddin,
As well as numerous memories that continued to fuel his emotionality,
Already accentuated.
Another aspect to mention is that this great catharsis that comes to Nasruddin and the great initiative that follows is triggered by a loss,
That is,
By an affliction.
It is a good way to remind ourselves that many of our great spiritual advances arise from the trials and tribulations we go through throughout life.
Returning to the main argument,
We find that,
In these places of pilgrimage,
The great saints are donkeys,
And that designation of saints probably suits them very well.
There are some aspects of animals and nature in general that are worthy of praise,
And yet we ourselves,
Precisely because of our capacity for reasoning and transformation,
Often have them unbalanced.
It is likely that both Nasruddin and his father learned a lot from their respective donkeys.
Another of the maxims that derive from this narrative,
Which also comes to us in the form of a surprising paradox,
Is that Nasruddin ends up dedicating himself to what he walked away from.
It seems that it was necessary for him to make his own way.
In fact,
From a systemic family therapy perspective,
This differentiation from his family of origin through this great odyssey would be seen as a very healthy move.
And curiously,
It goes back to the beginning.
He ended up dedicating himself to what he seemed to be destined for.
So we see here the cyclical progression of life that we experience so clearly in the cycle of day and night,
In the tides and the seasons.
Everything returns to where it began,
Everything moves forward circularly,
Or perhaps spirally.
There is one more aspect that I would like to highlight.
There is an ethical question that leans out at the base of this story.
Obviously,
Neither Nasruddin nor his father made any mention of the fact that were the remains of their donkeys which lay in that place.
I like to think that both had reached a high level of development and were extremely selfless and upright people.
So probably they were quite detached from everything that was being built around them.
And finally,
They would see the benefits of generating a space that promote devotion,
Trust and meditation.
A place that stimulated healing and spiritual purification.
So I suppose they accepted that situation as a sacred trap.
Somehow in a certain way it would be indifferent whether it is the grave of a donkey,
Of a saint,
Of a flower or a piece of wood.
Any object is composed of the same ultimate essence.
Any element represents divinity,
Consciousness.
Although it is true that there are places and objects with a somewhat special energy charge,
But that is another story.
For sure,
The very spiritual attitudes and practices carried out there ended up filling those sanctuaries with a beautiful and healthy vibration.
