Guitar Troubleshooting

I've been trying to get my guitar fixed since I arrived in China. I've been also trying to get Javad's guitar fixed for some two months. Both have been sitting in my home, collecting dust and irking me. For a time, I went out and looked for places to get it fixed, asking many friends to help me find a guitar repair shop. After a few attempts, my desire did not decrease, but my actions all but disappeared. I did that thing we probably all do sometimes, where we get stuck on something relatively small, and deem it insurmountable.

Yesterday, I went out to the Music Conservatory with my new friend, Crystal. There are tons of music shops in that area. It turns out this area is a 20-minute walk from my home! We went into a few stores, each of which informed us that they cannot complete the repairs, recommending that we go to another spot in Shanghai, somewhat far away.

My guitar: one of the tuning knobs is broken off, and it needs new strings (I've been to lazy to change them myself)
Javad's guitar: has an awesome buzzing noise, which I have been unable to locate, and also needs new strings.

After the failure to find a repair shop, Crystal simply went to get some super-glue. I came home, glued the broken knob back on, changed the strings on one of them, and located and fixed the buzz. Three months of annoyance, taken care of in one pleasant evening.

I was telling Eric when he was here about the concept of "seeing the end in the beginning". In "The Seven Valleys", Baha'u'llah explains that when people reach a certain level of spiritual growth, they no longer makes this mistake of being frustrated at the guitars: they see the end in the beginning, and "because they see the end in the beginning, see peace in war and friendliness in anger " (Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 15)

In this case, it simply means that with this level of spiritual growth, I could have been grateful and happy while the guitars didn't work, knowing that it served a purpose, or several: for me to learn to take care of it myself, to gain confidence and patience, to reach out to different people, to make this new friend, etc.

People having grown beyond this ability to see the end in the beginning, "the people of the Valleys above this see the end and the beginning as one; nay, they see neither beginning nor end, and witness neither "first" nor "last." Nay rather, the denizens of the undying city, who dwell in the green garden land, see not even "neither first nor last"; they fly from all that is first, and repulse all that is last." (Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 15) ***

In this case, it would be a blissful experience all along, both before and after fixing the problem. The issue wouldn't have even been a problem at all!

So as I was telling Eric, I keep noticing instances of all three in my life:
- not seeing the end in the beginning (the guitars)
- seeing the end in the beginning (my job at NewBeat, my new friendships, and much more)
- seeing "not even 'neither first nor last'" (not as easy to pinpoint, since it's so integrated into my life...)

So I'm sort of straddling these different stages of spiritual growth.

The whole experience with the guitars last night put me back in touch with the words of Piersig in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It was really delightful working and making things better with my own two hands.

Actually, today and this week I'm teaching some of the children about hands and fingers - such magical things. I think it was Nikki who once told me how she occasionally will just stare intently at her own hands, marveling at their power and beauty. Humans are truly a noble and beautiful creation!



*** The quote goes on: "For these have passed over the worlds of names, and fled beyond the worlds of attributes as swift as lightning. Thus is it said: 'Absolute Unity excludeth all attributes.' And they have made their dwelling-place in the shadow of the Essence." (Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 15)