The Great Ocean

This is a story about a great Master, his people, and the crowd.

On planet Earth there once lived a Master called Great Ocean. He was called Great Ocean because of the long flowing waves of his beard, and for other reasons. After attaining the ultimate through a search not helped by another, the Master pondered in silence why he should help others know the truth. He knew that everyone wakes up from the dream in their own time; why throw cold water upon their smiling faces he thought. While he was pondering this he travelled all over the vast countryside. He wasn’t really interested in attracting followers, or even waking people up. He was just curious about the way the world and its inhabitants pursued their ways. However the Master’s magnetism grew many from near and far, and before long he had gathered many sincere seekers around him, and the crowd. The Master knew these people needed a home to collect their silence and cleanse their souls, so he stopped travelling and settled down.

In a way the Master did not settle to preach to the masses, but rather to explore another stage in the mysterious journey of this life. However the masses did so come with many needs and desires. The Master in his wisdom gave great discourses that were perfectly in tune with every gathering. However to the Master’s dismay, after every discourse his inspired followers, rather than letting the words and wisdom settle into their being, trod all over his words and ignored their true meaning. Of course meanwhile many sincere seekers were making their way along the pathless path that only a Master has travelled.

Unfortunately the crowd thought that they had grown wise and started taking over the Master’s home, and kicked out all the sincere seekers. The Master tried at every turn, but the crowd could not hear and would not listen. There was only one option left…to leave. One morning the Master left for a foreign land in hope of losing the crowd. Of course the crowd new better and followed him. This new land brought promise and hope, yet in just few short years the Master was again in the same dilemma. This time the Master was getting old and weary and hence decided not to run, but rather withdraw into silence. Of course the crowd destroyed the oasis, and the Master was also kicked out and left listless and homeless.

In a strange twist of fate, the Great Ocean flowed back down the one river and ended up in his land of birth, and in his old abode. Would things be different this time, the Master wondered. With all the dramas, the trouble was that by now the Master looked bad not just to the world, but also to many of his closest disciples. Though they had followed him back home, they had secretly lost trust in his ways. They had also thought that they themselves had grown old and wise, and knew better the Master’s message than himself. Hence out of great compassion for the world they decided to do away with the Master, and just keep his message. They were the new vehicles and after all it is the message that is important, not the messenger - so they thought.

All seemed to work well for a time, and then strangely enough the new master plan seemed to hit a few speed bumps. Though the crowd came they also left not to return. Many of the old Master’s sincere seekers, not before troubling for the worldly games, decided to again engage with the world. This created even more trouble with the New Team. Perhaps, they thought, we are having troubles like Great Ocean had. These worldly dreamers know not the truth nor the way, and hence try and fight us. Of course there was no use in contemplation or meditation to solve this one, for the New Team had already attained all on that front - or so they thought. With their inward tools seemingly lacking, the New Team decided to fight the foolish world with freshly crafted outward weapons.

At first their conduct was subtle and cunning, yet in time the intractable sleeping world required a gentle touch of physical violence. After all, the physical threats and violence was just a new age Zen stick. This approach was very successful because the crowd became very silent. The New Team thought that now the crowd had finally started to learn a little about meditation. However the fearful crowd was more a dam readying to burst than a silent stream. Of course the fearless ones that stood pillars against the violent aggression were also unmoved. In fact they had grown more resolutely in the power of here and now. To be continued.