In many cultures from all over the world butterflies are believed to have links with the human soul. Many people report seeing a butterfly in their home shortly after a loved one's death, I had personal experience of this shortly after my mother passed away.
Spiritual enlightenment is the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice, this is attained when all limitations have been removed from our minds - a state characterised by infinite compassion towards others, wisdom and skill.
Today's science has usurped mythological beliefs, fables and superstitions, bearing facts as opposed to beliefs. We are less about spirit and soul and more about all things material, physical and technological, we like to think we are masters of our own destiny.
Yet in China it is still widely believed that we are all connected by the red string of fate, the ancient Chinese proverb says: 'An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.'
According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red cord around the corresponding ankles of those who are destined to meet one another in a certain situation or help each other in a certain way. The red thread doesn't just refer to the person we marry, or our own children, but to every person we meet in our lives.
The Chinese believe the red threads emanate from us from birth, as we age the threads grow tighter, pulling us closer to the people whose lives are destined to intertwine with ours, we just have to recognise those people.
I personally take comfort from this belief, rather than just randomly being born, living and dying, unconnected and with seemingly no reason, I like to think that those closest to me will always be bound together by the red thread, for eternity.
With so many atrocities going on in within our society one has to believe there is a reason. I was working in Harrods on that fateful Saturday back in 1983 when we were subjected to a terrible terrorist attack. Being in close range to the bomb and seeing the carnage first hand was a shocking experience. However, it is the small acts of unkindness from people I have trusted and liked that have affected me the most in life. We see it everyday, on the Internet and in the workplace, people being malevolent, cruel, malicious, mean-spirited and ruthless, like a dripping tap these little droplets of unkindness are within all of us on a daily basis when dealing with one another, a harsh word, a treacherous action, an unsympathetic ear, we're all guilty to some extent.
One can only hope life literally is a learning curve and that the red thread that binds us eventually heals us of all misdemeanours towards one another.
This next recipe is one I cooked recently for someone with whom I have a slightly tempestuous relationship, I always hope that the act of cooking for and eating with this person is an olive branch, as Gautama Buddha said: 'purity or impurity depends on oneself, no one can purify another.' But we can at least try!
Cola ham
Recipe
1 medium gammon ham
1 onion
2 litres Coca Cola
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons runny honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
Place ham in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and drain
Cover ham in cola, add onion, bring pan to the boil and reduce to a simmer
Put lid on and cook for 2 1/2 hours
When the ham is cooked, preheat oven 240c/gas 9
Take gammon out of pan and allow to cool, remove skin leaving a thin layer of fat
Score fat with a sharp knife
Combine soy, honey and oil, place ham in a greaseproof paper lined roasting tin and glaze
Place ham in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, remove and re glaze with juices at the bottom of the pan
Cook for a further 15-20 minutes until burnished and bubbly
Allow to rest for 15 minutes under a foil tent before carving
Serve with seasonal vegetables and pour juices from the bottom of the roasting tin over the top
'You must be the change you wish to see in the world.'
- Mahatma Gandhi
Love Donna xxxxxxxx
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