Me First! An animated story in several languages.
Translated from the Tibetan by James Low
| English | German | Italian | Polish – not yet available |
| Portuguese | Romanian | Russian | Spanish |
| Turkish |
This illustrated early Buddhist account follows how the Buddhas responded to the rise of a demonic world dictator. It illuminates how the will to power brings misery to many, as we see in the current political situations in Ukraine, in Gaza, in South America and in many other places.
The delusion of individual existence arises from unawareness of the ground source. This ground is always present everywhere for it is the ground of both samsara and nirvana. All sentient beings, all creatures, have this basis and so have the basis for freedom, joy, buddhahood. However due to unawareness of this we exist as sentient beings striving to maintain our identity in an ever-changing world.
The story presented here is an account of what happened when one disciple turned towards the intrinsic and what happened to the other student who turned away.
Our limited ego is afraid of openness which it can experience as oblivion. The existence of the ego depends on the sense that something is happening, something which is taken to be either I/me/myself — the subject — or everything else — the object. The ego, having no inherent existence of its own, requires the activity of subject/object interaction in order to generate a sense of its existence, its importance and its agency. When the ego rejects being part of the inclusive ground and asserts its autonomy, it seeks power over others. “They have to submit to my will — they may change but I do not.” This is the driving force of all bullies and dictators. Dominating the other, whether people or animals or the environment, generates the delusion of self-continuity, and of my entitlement to be in control.This preoccupation with my own benefit becomes an attack on the freedom of others.
The story shows this clearly and can help us to see how these forces operate in our world right now. May this story encourage us to see that we are part of the world and part of the whole and thus the welfare of all includes our own welfare. When we awaken to our intrinsic inclusion, the ego’s wish for dominance and control weakens, allowing us to find ourselves complete, at ease, and whole.
This story has been translated into English by James Low, German by Robert Jaroslawski, Italian by Francesca Fazzio, Portuguese by João Pereira Vale Neto. Romanian by Viorica Constantinescu, Russian by Marie Samarina, Spanish by Juan B. García Lázaro and Turkish by Pinar McGivern. Polish will follow.
The paintings by Diana Collins have been animated by Marja Shramko and sound added by Marie Samarina. Pedro Gomes has prepared them for YouTube where you can watch them.
The story has been read in English by Janek Szlagowski, German by Pema Rangdrol, Italian by Daniele Locaputo, Portuguese by Leandro Martins, Romanian by Sorin Fițu, Russian by Rodion Samarin, Spanish by Juan B. García Lázaro and Turkish by Bülent Bektaş.
You can buy the book in hardback in English, Portuguese and Spanish and read it on this website in Turkish. Read more about it here and buy it here.