“A road you have walked before will always take you to the same destination. No matter how the Universe may shape the path afresh or add new lanes, the destination will remain the same,” said the Master as he and his student were walking along their morning prayer route.
Troubled for weeks, the student had been perplexed by a journey he once undertook. A journey he once travelled when he was a young man. He ran away from home. The Universe led him to a particular road and he found himself following his heart along this road. At the time, the road seemed endless will beautiful bends and long stretches of paving. The scenery was beautiful with lush trees and bushes decorating the landscape. Intoxicated by it all, the young man enjoyed his journey and forget that he was on the road because he had ran away from home. He thanked the Lord for the beautiful road for it was making his burden of running away lighter. Then suddenly, as instant as the flash of lightning, the road he was walking on ended. The long stretches of paving on the road ended. The beautiful lush trees and bushes ended. The beautiful bends ended. He had not realised that he had reached the destination. Or so he thought. He arrived to a destitute and dreary destination. He felt weak around the knees. He fell to the hard ground below him and wept.
The student soon realised that crying for a dead road was not worth it. He thanked the Lord for the lesson in enjoying the journey and not the destination. He felt strength course through his body and his knees got the stability they needed to raise him from the dust below. He got up. His bag swung freely under his right arm and he caught it mid-air. In doing so, he did not realise he caught the underside of his bag and that the zipper was half opened. A picture fell through the zipper and he gingerly bent over to pick it up. A picture of his home. A beautiful home that made him miss the intimate spaces within its walls. However, having walked this road that he had just walked, he thanked the Lord for a second time for the lessons that he learnt. Lessons that equipped him with new found strength. He threw the picture to ground and continued on.
As he was walking the wilderness, he came across an open field. A clear field that was strapped bear of any sense of life. The waves of heat dancing in his vision. In the middle of it all was a rock. A fairly large rock. Because, he was on this journey to find that which he himself did not know, he went over to the rock. As he approached the rock, he realised that the rock appeared the same as he had seen it within the waves of heat. He placed his bag down and knelt before the rock. For some strange reason, the rock communicated with him in languages not understood by men. He felt the rock communicate directly to his heart addressing the issues that led him to his search of that which he did not know. He spent so much time with the rock that by the time he got to his feet, he did not realise that he was in a deep trance. So deep in a trace he lost track of time- and his bag. He thanked the Lord that his life was spared and the blessing that the attachments to his home were now all gone. He thanked the Lord for placing the rock in his path and thanked the Lord for the cosmic energy that allowed him to communicate with it. Having ran away from home, walked a beautiful yet strange path and now finding himself in the middle of a hot open field to communicate with a rock, he found a refreshed purpose.
The student continued his path. So profound his experience was with the rock he had communicated with, that he stopped for a moment. He had gained some distance from the rock and was approaching the horizon that he earlier soon. The horizon that promised vegetation and a well for he was starting to get hungry. Before exiting the open field, he decided to look back and see if he could see the rock. He did. Now it stood like tiny pebble and he bid his farewell to it. He looked forward and he continued walking. Moments later, he reached the end of the horizon. He was surrounded by vegetation of all kinds and tree branches that hung with all sorts of fruits. Overwhelmed with joy, he praised the Lord for the food that was in front of him. A short praise it was for his stomach could no longer contain its excitement. And so, he went in and devoured. Long endless rows of trees stood before him. Each possessing a different fruit for him to try. The beautiful hills swerved and bent elegantly, shaping the sky above him in an exoticism that had him enchanted. He realised that he was walking a road that was paved with elegant petals and leaves that had fallen from the surrounding trees and flowers. He enjoyed every moment of his journey. The breeze carried notes of lavender and ancient scents no longer used in the modern world. Scents that froze time and led one into the greater dimensions of the universe. Enchanted and having eaten so much food, he suddenly fell to the ground. The overwhelming pleasure he was experiencing had exhausted him. He decided, that on those beautiful and soft petals and leaves he was laying on, to sleep.
A long and meaningful sleep. He woke up still dazed. In his heart, he still had the excitement of the day before still racing his veins. However, what he saw left him lost for words. The trees, the curving hills, the beautiful colours of the sky, the petals and leaves below were all gone. Instead, he found himself in a wilderness that promised no life. A wilderness that was bear. A dry wilderness with waves of heat dancing on a beige, sandstone ground. Perplexed he sat in a lotus position, to open the channel to communicate with the universe to understand what had happened. Silence. The universe could not answer him. There was too much noise in his heart and mind for him to listen to the universe. He got up from the ground and felt the heat bake on his skin. He was dumbstruck. Not only had the beautiful land with the fruitful trees, beautiful hills, and colourful skies scented with lavender and ancient smells vanished, his clothes had too. For the first time, he prayed with anger to the Lord.
With so much rage and anger, he complained and yelled to the Lord. He blamed Him for planting the seed for him to run away from home. He was blaming Him for letting the universe lead him to walk on a beautiful road with great bends. He was resenting the fact he lost his bag because of the rock that stole his attention. He was even close to curse the Lord of creation for letting him lose sense of time in a land that had now vanished into thin air. Perhaps the heat got to him and he collapsed to the ground still filled with anger. Anger that had fueled bitter tears to run down his cheeks. Sobbing in the dust below him, he ended his ranting with the hope that Death will find him and that his worries will forever end. Under the weight of his emotions, he had no strength to get to his feet. He lay on the hard hot ground. He wept himself to sleep.
A cold breeze brushed through his toes. This woke him up and to his surprise; he was covered with new clothing. A black robe that covered his entire body. Inside there was a note:
“Death only comes for those who have no Life. Raise and walk.”
Astonished and speechless he rose from the dust. He brushed the particles that rose with him and saw in a distance are large spring. The steam of the water visible in his sight. He realised then that he last bathed while he was still living at his home. A smile slowly formed on his face and ran to the spring. He took off his robe and saw that he was also wearing sandals. He took them off and they too had a note:
“Walk in peace and the Lord will never forsake you.”
He took that moment to apologise to the Lord. He knelt to his knees and prayed a deep heartful prayer to the Lord of his creation. He felt peace restored in his heart. He thanked the Lord for His forgiveness. Afterwards, he dived into the spring.
He felt the miracle of the spring cleaning not only his body, but his heart too. He thanked the Lord for the spring. He lay in the spring and soaked. He did not want to leave. But, he knew that he should. And so, reluctantly, he slowly got out; savouring each drop of water that ran on his body. He stood naked and let the air dry him. He heard sweet messages carried in the wind in the air and decided that he will walk with the wind. Wind is like a broken rudder, at any point in time, wind might change its direction. He quickly dressed his robe and sandals and walked with the wind. Wind today was a calming companion. Wind did not blow so much to kick up the dust below him. The wind blew its messages with just enough cosmic energy to communicate softly in his ear. Today wind was happy and its happiness filled the young man.
The wind bid its farewell and left the young student standing in front of a beautiful oasis. He heard the wind’s finally message telling him to be cautious. Through the cosmic energy, he replied that he will and thanked the wind for its companionship. The oasis looked familiar. The path carved on the ground was long and bent elegantly with the live vegetation surrounding it. The ends of the tree branches cut through the sky with such precision, it made the oasis look heavenly. The young man however, entered the oasis with great caution. It was difficult because once again, he was hungry and the vegetation around him looked beautiful. He asked the Lord if he might eat. But, the confusion in his heart and protests from his stomach blocked the channels to his Lord. Weakened by temptation, he ate. Delicious. He eat more. The juices of each fruit trickling along the sides of his mouth. He was close to losing himself once more to the pleasures of the flesh. Death appeared. Death, to him was beautiful. She looked him into his eyes and told him that he once wished for Her. She gave him a deep kiss with the fruit juices still flowing in his mouth. She left him. The sweetness of Her kiss over powered that of the fruit. Her kiss trickled down his nerves. He knew that this was a road once travelled.
He throw the unfinished fruit he had in his hand and thanked the Lord for sending Death to save him.