Chapter 5 (Ariyapariyesana)

(The Noble search)

“So, I guess we got to row,”

Max and Jizo looked at the boat before them while standing on a sunny beach. The cold sea breeze refreshed both of the travelers from the desert. Unlike, the yellowish reign of the desert, the sky, the sea, and the clouds, all seemed to be blue. Even the sunlight was mildly bluish. It was softly cold and cozy. It was calm. Yet, it was lonesome.

Soon, the duo boarded and started rowing with the two given paddles. The boat they rode was made of oak and resembled a giant canoe.

"This realm will test you on your desire and lust. Your selflessness will assist you," Jizo said. Max replied in a low and shy voice,

"Umm….Talking about lust… I watched some Videos that I should not, in my past life,"

Jizo laughed and said, "It's a normal human desire. You're officially a teenager now. I can understand it. But don't take it too far,"

As they went far from the beach, the sunlight went dim. The air got cooler around them. They could see and feel ice while rowing.

“Crack…” “Crack..” In some regions, a small ice layer was upon the seawater.

The duo got to a place where glaciers rose to the sky. In awe, Max gazed at the magnificence of the mighty glaciers. It was a surreal beauty. The tips of the glaciers were touching the clouds of heaven as if they were the foundations of heaven.

Both of them could feel the increased coldness, but Jizo made no response to the cold while Max, the fiery demon boy, was shivering. He didn’t know how to use his powers to warm himself down a bit.

As night came, hunger tortured Max. He caught two fish near the boat and grilled them with his power for dinner. Max gave the first cooked fish to Jizo, but Jizo refused by saying, “I’m a vegan and also avoid dinner,”

“But, you have eaten nothing since morning!” Max insisted, forgetting Jizo wasn’t an ordinary person. Jizo said, “I got some starvation-relief meditation techniques. So, worry for your own, my boy,” Then, he closed his eyes and started meditating.

While on the boat, Max watched over the bluish sea. It was lonely without Jizo to talk. He dared not to disturb him during meditation. Thus, he spent time looking over the faces of the water.

Upon looking at the blue surface, his thoughts shifted to the family back home. How would they be upon knowing his death? They would be lamenting then. His mother would have fainted. His father would be cursing Vithura for his demise.

He was saddened by those thoughts. The possible laments of his parents were echoing in his ears. He could Imagine their cries, shocks, and curses.

If Vithura had murdered him, how could he face his parents? Would he keep it a secret?

The darkest thought appeared, “Would Vithura have silenced my parents, too?”

“No, no,” “No…”

Repeatedly, he quietly said the word No, and tears rolled down. He splashed some of the icy water on his face. Yet, he could not keep calm.

He faced the cold water to wash his crying face. As he dipped his face, he blurrily saw the images of his parents in the water. They were coming to him, stretching their hands to hug him. He could feel their warmth, their union, and their love. He could feel all his desires getting fulfilled. Max could think no more and stretched his hands too.

“Mom, Dad, I’m coming!”

And suddenly,

“Vram!”

Jizo pulled Max out of the water, saving him in less than a second.

Max didn’t know what had happened as he saw monsters with sharp teeth appear before him. They had human bodies with fish-like bottoms. Their smell was like that of a fish. It made Max close his nose. Their faces had gills and protruded ears and eyes. They made eerie noises with their wide mouths. They shot ink-like smoke out of their tiny noses.

Jizo used his staff to beat them down while Max was still in awe. Max later retrieved his consciousness and began helping Jizo.

However, using pyrokinesis and fireballs in an oceanic area was challenging for him. Jizo chanted a protection spell in Sanskrit that caused a massive wave, driving the creatures away.

“Those aren’t little mermaids. Those are sirens. I forgot to warn you about the monsters that arise from your desires. My apology, Max,”

“They rose from my desire? How had my desire for my family caused them?” He said while sobbing with his head low.

“Our biggest desires can cause us to blind, my boy,”

Max remained silent for a while, crying.

“Haven’t you had a family, too, Master Jizo?” Max broke the silence again, and Jizo spoke, “I had,”

“Where are they now? Where did you leave them behind?”

Jizo’s voice got deeper.

“I was the only son of a samurai family 800 years ago, from nowadays Japan. I was young and interested in an escape instead of warfare. An escape from my war-lust life was what I wanted. My hair was coal black, possessed of radiant youth. In the prime of my life, I cut off my hair and beard, put on yellow robes, and went forth from home into homelessness though my mother and father wished otherwise, weeping with tearful faces,”

“Please tell me more about your life,”

“At first, I met with some ascetic monks who gave me my Sanskrit name, Ksitigarbha. They taught me chakras, psychic powers, and other shenanigans. But I could still see not the escape I wanted. So I left them and wondered on my own. In many ways, I searched for an escape. I worked many ways and did many chores. But all were in vain.

At that time, I realized that I was just looking for my escape.

Throughout my search, I had assumed the material world was impure, impermanent, and interdependent. I neglected all the lessons it had taught me.

But when I realized that If everything was impermanent, then what am I not to differ? After all, I, myself, was, is, and will be impermanent anyway.

No difference lies between everything and me as we both are impermanent and interdependent. Why should I need to escape except to love it? I lost my desire for an escape. Once I realize it, I have obtained my escape,”

“What happened afterward, Master?” Max asked in curiosity.

Tears rolled from Jizo’s eyes.

“After awakening, I noticed that I had made my road and passed it myself. I had not helped anyone, not even my family. How selfish was I? I was in a small vehicle.

Using psychic powers I got, I found out that both my parents were in hell, getting judged unfairly. I was ashamed for not saving or even meeting them during their lives once. I was an undutiful son. So, I saved them from unjudged and unfair punishments and took them to a better realm.

From that time, I vowed to rescue all beings from being unfairly judged. I am on my way of making myself a greater vehicle, the one that will take beings to the path to enlightenment, and here am I now,”

Max found Jizo’s life as an inspiration.

“Master Jizo, can you explain to me more about the great vehicle you’ve said,”

“It is taking other beings to the path to spiritual enlightenment, my dear. Enlightened beings, like me, can stay in a state called ‘Nirvana’,”

“Oh, Nirvana, my father got their albums,”

Jizo smiled.

“No, not that Nirvana. What I mean is a state of peace. The peace of mind and body, to be clear. I could stay in that state for eternity, but beings like me refused Nirvana and stayed in this material world to help other beings reach Nirvana,”

“Whaaaat? So, you give other people the peace that you don’t want?”

“The peace of Nirvana and the material world are no different for us, my child. They are all empty for us. Our saving is like…”

Just then, the duo saw a wave carrying a tired seagull. The seagull was tired and couldn’t move a bit. Slowly, the wave placed it upon the shore, saving it from drowning.

“Consider the seagull as a being, the wave as us. We took beings to the other shore,”

Slowly, after saving the seagull, the wave returned to the ocean, without setting on the shore.

“I guess you got what I mean,”

Max nodded in agreement. His eyes were upon Master Jizo, thinking about the sacrifice he made.

“No need to thank me, my boy. Since the saving was our choice,” Jizo smiled.

“Why did you choose to save me, then?” he asked, and Jizo said,

“I heard a cry calling your name and telling me that you were in trouble. That was my job, after all. Now, sleep. I will guard,”

“Nah, I’ll help you too,”

And they continued chatting till the sun rose.