Alexandria, VA – When I think about “asking,” two things pop into my head; both of them can be hard to do.
There’s “The Ask,” the thing that those of us involved in any type of selling do, whether it’s nonprofit fundraising or (hopefully) for-profit sales.
A professional salesman I knew had “the ask” down to a numerical science. You had to ask a certain number of people before you got to a yes. From an online search, I learned the average sales rep makes 52 calls per day and that it takes eight cold calls to reach a buyer. Even after that investment of time, sales statistics say that 98% of cold calls don’t result in an appointment. Now with cell phones identifying spam risk, I guess it takes even more calls to reach a live human.
No wonder most of us don’t like making cold calls.
My salesman-friend stayed motivated by believing the calls helped him find those people who wanted what he was selling.
When I was fundraising for Living Legends of Alexandria, I didn’t cold call. I asked individuals and businesses I already knew and preferably did business with. As he wrote his annual donation check during lunch at a local restaurant, one business’s director quipped that I was an expensive lunch date.
The “ask” I really want to write about now is about asking questions. A large part of asking questions is knowing what you don’t know. If you’re pretty sure you know the answer, you don’t even think to ask the question. Another part is knowing who to ask.
Case in point: I recently completed a mosaic rendition of a favorite Buddha-like stone sculpture in my home. The figure’s right hand is in an Abhaya Mudra, or the Fear Not gesture, a gesture of reassurance and safety. His left hand appeared to me to be holding a dagger. I was sure enough that in my finished mosaic, his left hand holds a dagger.
Still, I wondered, why would the peaceful Buddha be holding a dagger? That’s when I decided to ask my two dear Indian friends. First question, was the sculpture a representation of Buddha or another deity? Second question, what was in his left hand? Both agreed the figure was indeed a representation of Buddha and both agreed he was not holding a dagger. One wrote:
“The Buddha sculpture seems to be holding a conch shell which happens to be one of the eight symbols of Buddhism.
“A conch shell is the symbol of the sound of Dharma awakening beings to their Buddha nature and is symbolic of the fearlessness of teaching the truth of working purely for the benefit of others. It also represents spreading the beliefs of Buddha which would spread in every direction just like the sound of the horn through the shell. It is normally placed in a vertical position and has a silk ribbon around it.”
The other, a docent for 25 years at the National Museum of Asian Art’s collection of Buddha artworks, wrote:
“It is Sakyamuni or the historical Buddha, the Hindu prince who gave up his kingdom to go in search for answers to be released from suffering. He gave up the life of a prince and took on an unstitched cloth and wore it and went off into the forests.
“What he holds in his left hand are the ends of his robe, not a dagger. The hands of these images convey a lot of meaning. The word for gesture in Sanskrit is Mudra. The right hand of your sculpture is in the Abhay Mudra or The Fear Not gesture…”
I am truly blessed to have knowledgeable friends to consult – even if they differ.
In closing, I ask you. Dear Reader, what do you think the Buddha is holding in his left hand – conch shell or the ends of his robe? Email me at [email protected].
Mosaic Artist/Photographer Nina Tisara is the founder of Living Legends of Alexandria.
Delightful!