The_NewBoy
New Member
With patience in his heart, he announced his thanks inwardly. He was thankful for the air, for the beating of his heart, for the soft cushion on which he sat. Sitting was an art,and he practised it in silence. There were swirls of red, grey, and blue in the rock, and the effect caused the breath to stir in his chest. However beautiful it may have been, it was clear that the answer was not there. He thanked the rock for its guidance.
Footfalls echoed loudly from the entrance, and the monk welcomed the world into the cave. His students walked calmly and quietly. Someone else was approaching. The figure’schin was held high, and two feet were planted in a display of bravado before the monk.
‘Where’s the gold?’ said a voice that did not seem in the mood for resistance.
‘There is treasure all around us. That which we need to live is infinitely valuable.’
‘Forget about that. There was a large crate of gold buried beside a hill to the west of the town. The people told me that you had it’, the smuggler said pointedly.
‘Did you hurt anyone?’
‘I didn’t need to. They told me what I wanted to know. Where’s the gold?’, the smuggler repeated.
‘Not long ago, a young man from the town came to me. He took me to the hill you mention. I saw the gold and I knew at once that it was a piece of the World Beyond. Whenthis world comes to us, it shows no kindness. It is hurt and poison. The townspeople do not understand, you see. The gleam of gold makes promises that it doesn’t keep. The only purpose it serves is to distract usfrom the truth. The World Beyond doesn’t seem to appreciate that—’
A gun was raised and pointed at the monk. He stopped and looked at the black circle, and then peered into the darkness beyond.
‘I don’t have time for this, you old fool’.
‘There are miles upon miles of caves in these lands. One could search them their whole life and never hope to see all of them. To protect the people of the town, I hid thegold among the caves. I, and I alone, take the burden of its promises. I cannot be seduced by it’s beauty.’
‘I can. Tell me where it is. Now’.
The monk looked back and was not afraid. He had been living for well over 70 years, and he was coming to the conclusion that there was no enlightenment to be found. The possibilityhurt him far more than anything else ever could.
‘There are two foxes among the fields’, the monk began, ‘the first is happy with what she’s given. She appreciates the warmth of the sun and the softnessof her cubs.
The smuggler’s gun remained raised, but there was no interruption. Perhaps the monk would give away the location of the gold with a slip of the tongue or a glance. He wascertainly not worth anything dead, and if he knew the location of the gold, he was worth something alive.
‘The second knows only what she wants. The rabbit she hunts, the stream she drinks from, and safety for her family. So I ask you, is it right to have the will to survive? Is it right to be so obsessed with what you don’t have, that you fail to see what you do have?’
For the first time in the encounter, the smuggler was lost for words. It was merely a trick of the mind, though. The solution was to focus on the here and now.
‘Tell me where you’ve hidden my gold, or I’ll shoot you’.
‘A young person such as you will tend to find themselves looking forwards. To what their destiny holds, to the things they will see and feel. To gold. As a young personslowly becomes an old person, they find themselves looking backwards more and more often. They know who they are, what they’ve done, how they feel. They cannot fool themselves. When you look back and see yourselfkilling a helpless monk, how will it make you feel?’
‘If it gets me my gold, I really don’t care’. The monk was no longer any use to the smuggler.
The gun was primed with a menacing click, and the monk felt a chill go down his spine. Peering into the depths of the circle, he felt its power, and there was only one thing hecould do. He reached deep into his soul and gave away the last thing he owned, the only thing that really mattered.
There was nothing left to hold him back; no promise of wisdom; no hope of seeing another sunrise. Now, for the first time in his life, he saw the world as it truly was.
He became the bird singing in the tree, and felt its joy as it projected its song across the plains. He felt it spread its wings and rise into the air, and then swoop and diveback towards the ground. He became the vole gorging itself on berries, and the berries themselves. He marvelled at the beauty of the life they sustained. A tear formed in his eye. At last, he understood his life-long quest,and it was worth every second of the wait. He could be anything, anyone, and they could be him. The greed of another had set him free. Then he thought of his students. Would they ever take the wisdom that he had now found?
Then he saw through the eyes of the smuggler. He felt the anger, the frustration, the greed that had hardened a cold heart, and he knew that his time had run out. The thief tooka deep breath and squeezed the trigger. Was that a look of fear in the monk’s eyes right at the end? The muzzle flashed, the gun roared. They’d never know.
Footfalls echoed loudly from the entrance, and the monk welcomed the world into the cave. His students walked calmly and quietly. Someone else was approaching. The figure’schin was held high, and two feet were planted in a display of bravado before the monk.
‘Where’s the gold?’ said a voice that did not seem in the mood for resistance.
‘There is treasure all around us. That which we need to live is infinitely valuable.’
‘Forget about that. There was a large crate of gold buried beside a hill to the west of the town. The people told me that you had it’, the smuggler said pointedly.
‘Did you hurt anyone?’
‘I didn’t need to. They told me what I wanted to know. Where’s the gold?’, the smuggler repeated.
‘Not long ago, a young man from the town came to me. He took me to the hill you mention. I saw the gold and I knew at once that it was a piece of the World Beyond. Whenthis world comes to us, it shows no kindness. It is hurt and poison. The townspeople do not understand, you see. The gleam of gold makes promises that it doesn’t keep. The only purpose it serves is to distract usfrom the truth. The World Beyond doesn’t seem to appreciate that—’
A gun was raised and pointed at the monk. He stopped and looked at the black circle, and then peered into the darkness beyond.
‘I don’t have time for this, you old fool’.
‘There are miles upon miles of caves in these lands. One could search them their whole life and never hope to see all of them. To protect the people of the town, I hid thegold among the caves. I, and I alone, take the burden of its promises. I cannot be seduced by it’s beauty.’
‘I can. Tell me where it is. Now’.
The monk looked back and was not afraid. He had been living for well over 70 years, and he was coming to the conclusion that there was no enlightenment to be found. The possibilityhurt him far more than anything else ever could.
‘There are two foxes among the fields’, the monk began, ‘the first is happy with what she’s given. She appreciates the warmth of the sun and the softnessof her cubs.
The smuggler’s gun remained raised, but there was no interruption. Perhaps the monk would give away the location of the gold with a slip of the tongue or a glance. He wascertainly not worth anything dead, and if he knew the location of the gold, he was worth something alive.
‘The second knows only what she wants. The rabbit she hunts, the stream she drinks from, and safety for her family. So I ask you, is it right to have the will to survive? Is it right to be so obsessed with what you don’t have, that you fail to see what you do have?’
For the first time in the encounter, the smuggler was lost for words. It was merely a trick of the mind, though. The solution was to focus on the here and now.
‘Tell me where you’ve hidden my gold, or I’ll shoot you’.
‘A young person such as you will tend to find themselves looking forwards. To what their destiny holds, to the things they will see and feel. To gold. As a young personslowly becomes an old person, they find themselves looking backwards more and more often. They know who they are, what they’ve done, how they feel. They cannot fool themselves. When you look back and see yourselfkilling a helpless monk, how will it make you feel?’
‘If it gets me my gold, I really don’t care’. The monk was no longer any use to the smuggler.
The gun was primed with a menacing click, and the monk felt a chill go down his spine. Peering into the depths of the circle, he felt its power, and there was only one thing hecould do. He reached deep into his soul and gave away the last thing he owned, the only thing that really mattered.
There was nothing left to hold him back; no promise of wisdom; no hope of seeing another sunrise. Now, for the first time in his life, he saw the world as it truly was.
He became the bird singing in the tree, and felt its joy as it projected its song across the plains. He felt it spread its wings and rise into the air, and then swoop and diveback towards the ground. He became the vole gorging itself on berries, and the berries themselves. He marvelled at the beauty of the life they sustained. A tear formed in his eye. At last, he understood his life-long quest,and it was worth every second of the wait. He could be anything, anyone, and they could be him. The greed of another had set him free. Then he thought of his students. Would they ever take the wisdom that he had now found?
Then he saw through the eyes of the smuggler. He felt the anger, the frustration, the greed that had hardened a cold heart, and he knew that his time had run out. The thief tooka deep breath and squeezed the trigger. Was that a look of fear in the monk’s eyes right at the end? The muzzle flashed, the gun roared. They’d never know.