"Now, David, I am going to tell you a
story. It might make you sleepy, but the most important thing is
to
allow it to make you feel that way. Your eyes may feel heavy, but
don't be afraid. You are not going to fall
asleep. I am going to sit here and talk with you the whole time."
"Sounds good," said David, leaning back.
Psychiatrist: "David, can you still hear me?"
David: "Oh, yes, and I too am here."
Psychiatrist: "Rama, Krishna? Who are you?"
David: "Why, I am Siddhartha - also known, later in life, as Buddha."
Psychiatrist: "What is your purpose with this boy?"
David: "This boy is very dear to me. It is his purpose that you will need to understand. Let me tell you of my life, so you can begin to understand his purpose."
Author's Note: Siddhartha's story picks up as Dharma in the world has continuously declined. The amount of Dharma in the world was even less at the time of the Mahabharata than it had been at the time of the Ramayana and Siddhartha's life dates back to around the sixth century B.C.E, which is, roughly - give or take several centuries - around the time that those epics were being formed in verse by Vyasa and Valmiki, respectively. Characters like Duryodhana in the Mahabharata and Ravana in the Ramayana, continuously made choices that were to the detriment of not only hundreds of others, but to themselves and their reasoning behind the choices was typically centered on greed. In each tale, I have tried to emphasize the specific traits of each avatar of Vishnu and how the avatars of Vishnu attempt to preserve Dharma in the world. The previous incarnations had specific battles with demons, for instance Matsya and Rama, but as you get into Krishna (who did battle demons, but also spoke at great length about Karma in the Bhagavad Gita, which is essentially a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna right before the war at Kurukshetra) and Siddhartha (who was the son of a king, but destined to be a spiritual leader), it seems that their paths are to serve more as teachers of these principles. If there is a progression present, it is that the avatars move from a more warrior-like presence to that of the teacher. In my stories, I have tried to express that as a set-up for the ending. There really is only one avatar left to discuss. It will be quite a surprise when you see what he has to say.
"Sounds good," said David, leaning back.
Psychiatrist: "David, can you still hear me?"
David: "Oh, yes, and I too am here."
Psychiatrist: "Rama, Krishna? Who are you?"
David: "Why, I am Siddhartha - also known, later in life, as Buddha."
Psychiatrist: "What is your purpose with this boy?"
David: "This boy is very dear to me. It is his purpose that you will need to understand. Let me tell you of my life, so you can begin to understand his purpose."
| I was a
great Indian prince and my father was
the king of the city Kosala. My mother was returning home to her father's kingdom to give birth to me, but I came before she arrived. The moment I was born, I took seven steps, from which lotus flowers bloomed. Brahma, Indra and my brother-in-law, Shiva, were present at my birth.  My birth prophecy was that I would either be a great ruler or a great religious teacher, but only a religious teacher if I were exposed to the elements of human suffering. I knew nothing of this as I grew. It was this very prophecy that made my father keep me isolated from the outside world in an attempt to keep me from such suffering. After I had grown up, one day, I decided that it was time to meet my subjects. The prophecy said that I would one day see a diseased man, a dead man and a Brahmin, emaciated from austerities. My charioteer saw these things with me that day as we drove through the kingdom.  The sight of such suffering was something that I had never seen before. It was a torment to my eyes. I knew then that my purpose was to overcome such suffering. Yet, I did not yet know how. My charioteer was a good friend to me. He promised that he would help me escape my kingdom to find out how to overcome suffering. By some mystery, the night of our departure, our horse's hooves made no noise so that the guards could not hear us.  I found two Brahmin to teach me. I mastered their teachings and they expressed a desire for me to take over their teachings, but I declined. Not to say that these were bad men, but these were bad times and I did not feel satisfied with their teachings. It was not something that I understood at the time, but the Dharma in the world, that is, truth and justice, was rapidly declining. It was at this time, trying to understand this concept, that I renounced all worldly goods, including food. I starved myself nearly to death and almost drowned while bathing. After that, I rethought my path. I strayed from such extremes of austerities. A young girl brought me milk and rice pudding as I sat underneath the Bodhi tree. She thought that I was a spirit due to my emaciated form.  It was my decision to remain under this tree until I found the Truth. I meditated there for seven weeks. Maya tried to tempt me with earthly desires in order to keep me from enlightenment, but I denied such attempts. I finally understood that it was mankind's submission to suffering through incessant desire that causes such misery and I realized the way to end such suffering was through detachment of earthly desires and to live a life devoted to principles that allow people to find the path of right thought and action. There were those who sought my understanding and wanted to help me preserve that which would allow people to arrive at the same understanding of the world as my own. "I must say, they did a good job. Don't you think, doctor?" The doctor replied, "Why, yes, I know many people who respect the Buddhist religion greatly. How well they detach themselves from their worldly possessions is another thing. The world is still full of greed and hate. I am not sure what this little boy has to do with this." "Ah yes, it is tough to see the connection. He is me, I am him, we are all together here," Siddhartha replied. |
The
psychiatrist pushed the stop button. He was in shock. Siddhartha
had
addressed him directly for an opinion; then, just like that, he was
gone. The doctor remembered how David had woken himself from the
hypnosis, something the doctor had never seen a patient do
before. David looked at him and said, "Now I understand," and
walked out of the doctor's office.
Author's Note: Siddhartha's story picks up as Dharma in the world has continuously declined. The amount of Dharma in the world was even less at the time of the Mahabharata than it had been at the time of the Ramayana and Siddhartha's life dates back to around the sixth century B.C.E, which is, roughly - give or take several centuries - around the time that those epics were being formed in verse by Vyasa and Valmiki, respectively. Characters like Duryodhana in the Mahabharata and Ravana in the Ramayana, continuously made choices that were to the detriment of not only hundreds of others, but to themselves and their reasoning behind the choices was typically centered on greed. In each tale, I have tried to emphasize the specific traits of each avatar of Vishnu and how the avatars of Vishnu attempt to preserve Dharma in the world. The previous incarnations had specific battles with demons, for instance Matsya and Rama, but as you get into Krishna (who did battle demons, but also spoke at great length about Karma in the Bhagavad Gita, which is essentially a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna right before the war at Kurukshetra) and Siddhartha (who was the son of a king, but destined to be a spiritual leader), it seems that their paths are to serve more as teachers of these principles. If there is a progression present, it is that the avatars move from a more warrior-like presence to that of the teacher. In my stories, I have tried to express that as a set-up for the ending. There really is only one avatar left to discuss. It will be quite a surprise when you see what he has to say.