Dorje Druk

1. Return From Nowhere

The maroon clad monks made their way across the rugged landscape, the cold dry air stinging their faces. Despite them being seasoned to such harsh conditions, the trek upwards was enough for them to stop and rest many times up the steep hill. After what seemed like an eternity they reached the mid way point where they were met by a cave that had been sealed by a yellow curtain and a sign written in Tibetan that kindly said "Monk in retreat, please do not disturb me. Thank you!". The youngest monk, a golden retriever barely in his twenties, pushed the curtain aside and made his way into the cave. It was dark save for a single candle and the smoldering end of an incense stick. The strong smell of frankincense and body odor smacked him in the face. 

The solitary monk was facing a rock wall, his upper robe was on the floor as a makeshift bed. He could be heard quietly reciting mantras in Tibetan, his paw fingering the individual beads of the mala prayer beads. After a few minutes of silently watching the lone monk, a brown and grey wolf, he suddenly went quiet and faced them.He looked them over with his bright blue eyes and asked in a hushed tone "Has it been six months already?". One monk replied "It has Rangwang, the abbot sent us to retrieve you". Rangwang sighed and stood up, shaking from having deprived himself of  food for one week. One monk ordered him to sit down while another took to trimming him so he would look less like a wild wolf to a monastic. Another monk gave him some water with a piece of bread. As Rangwang sipped his water, he went to gathering up the meager possessions he took with him: a candle, the last incense stick, his prayer beads and a leather bound journal he used to keep notes of his experience along with dreams he had been having. 

After an hour of recuperation the group started making their way down the hill, not even stopping to catch their breath. They were on strict orders to bring back Rangwang without delay. The abbot gave them no reason other than to be fast about it. The young golden retriever monk, Tenzin, tried to make conversation with Rangwang. "Bhante Rangwang, what was your experience like? I'm going to go on retreat next month". He replied to him "It is  beyond words, just experience the naked awareness". Tenzin nodded and kept quiet for the rest of the trek down. Rangwang continued to chant on the way down, fingering his mala beads the entire time. What he saw and experienced was beyond the comprehension of a junior monk to grasp, possible even his own abbot. He could feel the very energy of his experience running through his body to where he would shiver at instances. 

By sunset they made it back to the monastery, just as the evening chant service started. Rangwang and the group took spots in the back and took to chanting and meditation. As Rangwang meditated, he saw snippets of the visions he had seen in his retreat. He was able to subdue these snippets after some time and rest in pure awareness. After some time the temple was empty save for himself and the abbot, who sat next to him. "Rangwang, you have successfully completed six months of a retreat. I sent for you so soon because I had some dreams...some of them horrible". Rangwang was known to be an expert on dreams ever since he was a child. The abbot spoke about his dream that motivated him to bring Rangwang back.

"I saw a blood red sky with black clouds. Lightning nearly 2,000 meters long was striking the ground and the mountains. I was standing in a field of bones as a river of blood ran down from the cave you were meditating in. I happened to look into the sky and saw the Druk fighting with Mara. Suddenly, three of the Druk were killed by fire. The survivor was a grey Druk that was stained red by blood. He clawed, kicked and breathed a fire on Mara. Mara then smacked the Druk into the cave and it completely crumbled. When that happened a group of Devas and Buddhas appeared from the ground, the river of blood and from the bones. They brandished weapons from our stories such as the Dorje and the Phurba. Suddenly, a Dorje was shattered and lighting completely obliterated the dream. It was then that I woke up and saw what I presume to be one of the deities instructing me to bring you back to the monastery. I..I also saw this..." He rolled up his sleeve and revealed a Tibetan letter "A". The letter represents the primordial state of mind in their teachings. Rangwang gulped, this was not a good sign. He thought for a moment and set to interpreting the dream.

"The sky, clouds, bones and blood represent times of harshness ahead. That can be in the world or in yourself. The lighting is the indestructible essence of Nirvana and of the deities. Mara as we know is ignorance of the truth. The Druk are representatives of power and wealth. Four of them represents the four cardinal directions and four of the five elements. They are fighting Mara but, they lack the fifth element of Space to keep unity so, three of them are killed with one last one left to stand alone. The last one being thrown against my retreat cave could mean that I had something to do with this Druk, possibly as a guru or a trainer. The appearance of the Devas and Buddhas represents an awakening Their weapons are their raw power in the Dorje and the Phurba knife. The lighting ending the dream is again the raw power only, it is manifesting. That could explain the apparition. The apparition could also be a Tulpa trying to deceive you but, I do not think that is the case, especially with the branding of the A. Something else is going on here". 

He sighed and presented his journal to his abbot "I had experiences as well..Some of them pretty powerful". The abbot quickly flipped through the journal. "Oh my...powerful is an understatement. How did you not go insane?" Rangwang laughed and replied "Some sheer force kept me sane in that cave. You clearly were not joking when you said that mystics simply went insane there". The two sat in silence for a bit as twilight turned into darkness. After some time the abbot stood up and stretched like the cat he is. He looked down at Rangwang and said rather nervously "When you sleep, please keep track of any dreams you have. I think these could be signs of things to come...Like the ending of the Dharma age". In Buddhism, this is akin to the Christian concept of the apocalypse. Both monks shivered at that thought. Rangwang stood up and followed his abbot out of the temple and to the living quarters. "You may hold on the journal to read over in more detail. After all, you did help refine my skills in dream interpretation". "I will, just make sure you document any dreams tonight". Rangwang nodded and went to his room to do final meditation and sleep. He first had trouble sleeping but, around midnight he was able to fall into a deep sleep. The dreams he had were powerful that night, nearly making him insane.