Hold on Desperately

“When Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche was teaching in Ireland several years ago, he learned how mussels are cultivated off the Irish coast. The farmers attach mussel seeds to long ropes that hang under water. Clinging to the ropes, the mussels grow until they are large enough to be eaten. Although there is nothing preventing these creatures from letting go and floating away, they remain in place until the ropes are pulled up and they are scraped off and boiled alive.
For Rinpoche, this story illustrates the basic misunderstanding that rules our lives, causing every form of unhappiness and suffering that we experience. Just as the mussels hold tightly to their fatal rope, so too do we hold on desperately to our self, this all-important being we call me. Hearing about the mussels, Rinpoche said, made him “sad and curious…”
The only way to obtain the peace, joy, and fulfillment that all of us long for is by releasing our tight hold on me and turning our attention to the welfare of others. These complementary aims can be achieved through the transformative practice of tonglen, also known as the exchange of self and other… Because the exchange of self and other goes against the grain of our habitual self-centeredness, we put up many levels of resistance, from gross to subtle…”
~ JOSEPH WAXMAN
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“Simon, the mussel farmer, held up infographics explaining the process of raising mussels. It takes approximately 4-5 weeks for shellfish eggs to develop into larvae. The gray buoys floating in the water held large ropes. Larvae attach themselves to the ropes, remaining there until they become fully-grown–a two year process. In use for eighteen years, the ropes were thick with mud and grime. I could picture tiny larvae attaching themselves to the threads of the rope to finish the rest of their development.
Inviting us to gather around, he went to the small cabin of the boat, flipping a switch. Out of the water came a series of ropes, completely filled with fully grown mussels. He detached one and brought it over to the machine, turning it on. Simon raked several mussels off the ropes to demonstrate how the machine worked, mussels spinning through brushes before dumping out into a large bin.
Every morning Simon harvests one ton of mussels. If Simon is feeling unsure about the water, he will do a taste test of the mussels himself to make sure that he isn’t selling tainted shellfish to his customers, whom would become sick upon consumption. We were all shocked when he shared this, as he said that a few times he had gotten sick when completing his quality control check. I can’t think of higher commitment to serving quality shellfish than putting your health at risk to make your customers happy.
After learning about harvesting shellfish, we climbed back into the boat and returned to shore, where Simon’s wife and fellow shellfish lover, Kate, had prepared mussels for us. A bowl of bright orange mussels sat before me. Having never tried one before, I was hesitant. Some others in the group showed me the “ropes” of eating mussels. I dived in, not to be disappointed.”
~ Emily, Greener Ireland