It was in the ninth grade that I meet J. He was about my height and size, so we got along well. We used to play during lunch breaks. During one of the breaks I told him about my encounter with the spirit world, and the requirement of sacrifice by me. J has some history that I haven't told you about.
His parents are from Tauko, and are some kinda Zerri religious people. In there family one son is made to be a monk. Since, J's parents had only one son, him, they argued about sending him to the monastery to be a monk. His father wanted to send him to be a monk, so he went to the monastery. After a few years though his mother convinced his father, and he got out of the monastery and joined regular school, where I meet him.
"You shouldn't mess with the spirit world", said J.
"I don't think there is a spirit world, it was only those seniors messing with me".
"No," said J, "the spirit world exist".
"Really, then why don't we encounter them in our daily lives".
"The spirit world is not matter, it is just the thoughts, memories of people who have died. Everyone who has died joins the spirit world, all their thoughts and memories merge. When you join the spirit world you are not one, you are everyone".
"What can they do to us?" I asked.
"Since they lack any material vessel, they can only influence our thoughts, sometimes they can posses a body if the person wants them to take over, but they don't stay long since they don't have a single purpose, there are a lot of ideas from different spirits, and the spirit becomes weak and leaves the body".
"So, you mean I have to sacrifice someone, what if I don't do it?", I said.
"The spirits will be able to influence your thoughts, they may constantly tell you to kill someone, you have to fight them, the battle will take place in your mind, you have to be constantly aware, and get rid of any thoughts that you don't like, and if you resist long enough the spirits will leave you alone"
"Last time when Badar took my pen and didn't return it, I wanted to kill him, do you think it was the spirits?", I asked.
"It could be, but sometimes even we have thoughts of violence and anger, and we must guard against them, by choosing positive thoughts."
"Did you learn all of this in the monastery?"
"Yes".
"Do you miss the monastery?"
"Yes, little, but I want to lead a normal life, you have to sacrifice a lot to be a monk, and I don't know if it is worth it. "
"Is the spirit world heaven?"
"Well, when you enter the spirit world you lose your identity, there is no 'I', and you merge with the universal consciousness, though in the spirit world you are no longer conscious." said J.
"So you die when you reach the spirit world?"
"Yes, in a way, but all your memories and thoughts exist in the spirit world, there is just no more 'I'".
"What the", I said, "this is more confusing than arithmetic". "What about god? What is god?"
"Well most people think god is an entity watching over them, and they pray to them for good fortune, when bad things happen they ask god, 'Why me', sometimes thinking of god gives them hope and strength. In the monastery we were taught that there is no power that intervenes in the working of this universe, when a lion kills a buffalo, it is pain and suffering for the buffalo, but is a necessity if the lion is to survive. We view suffering and pain as evil, a bad thing, and it is for us, but for the universe we are a small part in the whole. Since we believe that god doesn't intervene in our lives, you might ask, then what is a purpose of such a god? We believe that god is a concept we cannot understand in our human form, like infinity, or something that is without end and a beginning. When we reach the spirit world we will glimpse a part of god, to be whole, not a single entity."
"So you think I should stop praying?", I asked.
"No, please do, the universe is listening".
"What, whatever, I am going back to class."
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