This fabulous novel centers on young Pi Patel, an Indian boy whose family owns a zoo in Pondicherry, India, but decides to uproot and move to Canada when he is 16. They manage to sell many of the animals, some of which are also bound for Canada or the United States, meaning that they are aboard the same ship. As soon as the boat reaches the open Pacific, it sinks. Pi manages to get aboard a life boat, then discovers he shares it with a wounded zebra, an orangatan, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger. Yipe!
Soon only the tiger is left, and Pi does not want to be the next meal. So his job is to act as zookeeper, catching enough fish and gathering enough fresh water to feed both the tiger and himself, as well as playing the psychological game of establishing separate territories for himself and the tiger.
And then there is the long, slow drift across the ocean. It is not giving away anything to say that Pi and the tiger (named Richard Parker) make it to Mexico; this fact is revealed early on so the reader knows that the point of the story is not the suspense of whether they will survive or not. It took 227 days, a truly amazing feat of survival.
The brilliance of the tale is that it touches something quite deep and spiritual, in a way that crosses many religious and philosophical disciplines. Pi himself practices his native Hinduism, as well as Christianity and Islam. His journey can be seen to have meaning in all of these faiths, as well as others.
The tale is advertised by an early character as one that will "make you believe in God." Because I am steeped in the Christian nature of the US, I can see a few aspects of Pi's ordeal that could be interpreted within Christianity. For instance, his dominance over the tiger could be seen as attaining and maintaining Man's proper place above the domain of the beasts. And of course his many challenges along the way-- storms, starvation, the burning sun-- are the usual tests that the Christian God puts His followers through to solidify their faith. In the end, he passes all the tests and is delivered to salvation and a good life in Canada, where he eventually gets married and has children.
I would be interested to know what the tale looks like from a Hindu or Muslim perspective. Surely some aspects would correspond to important teachings in those disciplines too.
But for me, the story was different. I am currently studying Buddhist philosophy, and could see all sorts of correlations with the development of the mind as it moves toward Enlightenment. Here is another way to read Pi's story:
This has nothing to do with God, and will not make you believe in him. It's about Pi-- the life of Pi. His voyage mirrors the process of awakening.
The sinking of the ship is the realization-- which tends to occur shortly after embarking upon Buddhist practice-- that something large and unknown is happening, and that many of one's previous beliefs (delusions) are becoming unmoored. This means leaving behind one's family, friends, and old habits, usually not quite as literally as Pi had to, but in a similar sense. Pi is on a spiritual voyage, as Buddhist meditators are. Only he can complete his voyage; no one can do it for him.
The tiger is Pi's suffering, his burden in life. We all have such a bundle that we carry around, and we are very much in danger of being attacked and swallowed by it. Pi slowly learned to contain it, not by ignoring it or denying its existence, but by seeing it clearly as something that can be managed with bravery and a cool head.
He drifted on the ocean's currents, just as we must follow our practice whereever it leads us. He didn't try to control where he was, but he did pay careful attention to his surroundings, taking precautions when storms were coming and doing his best to preserve his food and water, and provide protection for himself. He recognized early on that his actions had consequences, and could be fatal if he made a major mistake. Similarly, we must realize and see clearly how our actions affect ourselves and the world, taking care not to do damage in our voyage through life.
Pi lives only in the present. What else can he do? He stops worrying about his destination, since it is unknown. He stops worrying about the past, since it already happened. He spends his energy with maximum utility just in surviving (and indeed, living) each day. It's a simple existence, and it doesn't bring many pleasures, but Pi notes every occurrence and finds creative ways to adapt to each new event. Stripped of his old lifestyle, he finds all sorts of new skills (and indeed, freedoms) that he didn't know he had.
He suffers greatly. We all do. That is the First Noble Truth. But Pi moves all the way through the Four Noble Truths, learning to let go of everything he knew or thought he knew, thus attaining a state where his pain was something to observe, not something to suffer from. He begins to reach states of higher consciousness due to the sheer blankness of his daily life. This corresponds to deep meditation and the levels of jhana attainable with powerful concentration.
The bizarre island that he encounters represents the false states of rapture that meditators can become attached to. Higher states of consciousness in meditation can be seductively appealing, working against the effort to stop clinging. It is a dangerous time in a meditator's development. Pi sustains himself from this island for a while until he realizes in horror that it will kill him. He makes the correct choice to let go even of the rapturous pleasure he has found after so long drifting in the seemingly endless sea.
Soon after, at long last, he reaches land. He attains Enlightenment. The tiger bounds off into the jungle-- Pi's suffering is released completely. He is nursed back to health and lives a relative normal life, with the distinction that his experience has fully awakened him. He walks as a true adult among the many spiritual children of the world. He still has the normal problems, challenges, and disappointments of life; Enlightenment does not mean everything is perfect. But Pi can bring forth what is needed in each moment, and does not suffer from the pains, failures, and sorrows of being human. He lives through them without getting caught in them. (Similarly, he is fully awake for all the wonderful pleasures and intimacies of life. And in all occurrences, he brings a deep compassion and love for all beings).
The best part of the story is the end. (Stop reading if you don't want to know). This is a true story. It doesn't need all the longwinded interpretation you just read. It stands on its own as truth. Maybe it's just a story of a boy and a tiger on a boat. Either way, Pi Patel shows us the compelling power of the human spirit in the face of deep suffering.
Copyright © Kim Allen 2004
