The Dharma Revelation

Chapter 22

"Well, I hope this is worth all of the buildup," Daniel said, settling into a chair.

Petra glanced at him as she found a seat nearby, "Truly."

There was a large screen on the wall, illuminated in blue with "Component 1" flashing in the corner. John Lassiter was playing with a remote control, trying to get the video started. Daniel itched at his arm absently as he waited.

Caleb cracked the door and peeked in.

"Daniel, Petra," he nodded respectfully. "Enjoy the tape. We'll be in Israfil. Please join us when you're done."

"Actually, it's not a tape!" John pointed out, excitedly. "We have it digitally recorded!"

"It was a figure of speech."

"Tapes are usually VHS tapes," John continued. "But we record everything digitally and then archive it on disc."

Caleb nodded tolerantly.

"Thanks, Caleb," Daniel interjected. "We'll meet you when we're done watching the video."

As Caleb left, John continued to struggle with the remote.

"I just used this same remote yesterday!" he said in frustration. He began to choke the remote with his two hands.

"Here, let me try," Daniel offered. He took the remote with his left hand and tried several buttons, with no success.

"Give it back," John said.

"No, I've almost got it."

The screen turned off.

"Oh, brother," Petra said.

John yanked it back out of Daniel's hand.

"I think this is the wrong one!" Lassiter declared. "We need a different one for the inputs. I'll be right back!" he said, bolting out of the room.

Petra looked at Daniel but didn't say anything.

"How do you like it so far?" he said, looking at the blank screen.

She cracked a smile and said, "You know, you don't seem like a priest. At least compared to other priests I have met."

"I get the feeling none of us are really stereotypical," he noted.

"It is a fascinating place," she said, looking around. "I never would have thought I would be part of something like this. It is truly wonderful, what Caleb is doing."

"Yes, well, unfortunately I still have more questions than answers. If you would have told me a week ago I would have been nearly killed, had my parish taken away, and would be sitting in a conference room with a Buddhist woman, participating in an experiment in consciousness..."

She smiled her agreement as Daniel trailed off. He thought distantly of the events that led him here, and interestingly, he realized that his strange encounter with Dharma was the first of those events.

Petra watched him, sitting rather comfortably, casually running her hand through her thick, dark hair.

Daniel looked at her, "Aaron mentioned you were publishing a book?"

"Oh, yes," she perked up. "It's about Zen meditation, but it focuses on the problems with the great reformer of the Rinzai koan way, and how people in today's culture can benefit from a different variation. Actually, you would probably love this book."

"Why's that?" he asked.

She paused, as if choosing her words carefully. "Well. In addition to the traditional, the book also explores the possibilities of God, as well as the rich tradition of Christian contemplative prayer, and how that may relate to Zen Buddhism."