Did you know that the Buddha was a father? Before becoming the Buddha, he was Prince Siddhārtha, destined to become King of the Śakya clan in India. He was married, and he had a son, Rāhula. Yet, the Prince had become increasingly dissatisfied with life, and he longed for answers to his questions: Why is there so much suffering in the world? Is there a way out of this suffering? Unable to bear this confusion, he left his princely life and his family on the day of his son’s birth. Years later, the Prince returned to his hometown, no longer as the Prince, but as the “Buddha,” which means “enlightened one.” Prompted by his mother, the young Rāhula (then 7-15 years old) approached his father, and the two were reunited. The Buddha took Rāhula in, ordaining him as the first novice monk in his new monastic order.
When I wrote about the Divine Mother on Mother’s Day, that came pretty easily to me. I’ve been thinking about the Divine Father recently, and I have to say that my ideas are less formed, less clear. Still, today on Father’s Day, I want to honour all the Fathers in my life, and the Divine Father in all of his forms – and writing is one way I know to do this.
The Divine Father – Śiva (pronounced Shiva) in the yogic tradition – is a mysterious energy. Whereas the Divine Mother is right there, as close as the earth beneath my feet, the Divine Father seems farther away. Like Rāhula perhaps, I wonder who Father is. I can see, touch, hear, even taste Mother, but Father’s presence is less obvious.
Mother nourishes me, holds me, lifts me up from beneath. Father draws me upward from above. He inspires by example. He sets the standards that I aspire to meet. Luminous as he is, I turn my face to him in awe and reverence. I feel his energy, his power, and I am drawn to him. I reach up for him. Perhaps this is why we think of him, in some traditions, as Father Sky.
We need both: the support from beneath, and the inspiration from above. We need these two forces around us, in our circle of family and friends, and also within us, in our own being. Supported by Mother, may we make our way back to Father, as Rāhula did; may we turn towards questions of the Spirit, of Truth, of Freedom from suffering.
I thank all the Fathers in my life:
My own father, who was the first to teach me that “there is good in everything”…
My husband, father to my children, who lifts us up with his love, who strives for what is Good and True, and who leads us daily by example…
The yoga masters and enlightened ones whose words reach me from ages past, guiding me onward and upward, towards the Light…
All the ordinary yet extra-ordinary men and women in my life, and children too, who shine their Light so brightly upon me… You inspire me more than you know.
Om namah Śivaya! I salute you, Divine Father, in all your radiant and beautiful forms.