Deep within a monastery, a wise sage sat before a crowd. They spoke with confidence and conviction:
“Illumination reveals many truths, but casts equally as many shadows, and in its presence we find others’ true intentions: Those of malice see darkness and find someone to blame; while those of pure heart see the brightness and are blinded by its beauty; those of balance see the edges that separate the source from the shadows; and those with true wisdom close their eyes and find joy regardless. Look within to find the light, then tell me: What do you see?”
The sea of faces before them murmured in gentle acknowledgement and agreement. The sage sat back to bathe in their light, feeling vicarious joy for the enlightened souls being created. As they took a deep breath, their tranquil repose was interrupted by a loud, sharp voice.
“Excuse me I don’t see anything.”
Their eyes fell upon the source: In the front row was a man: A thin figure, dressed all in black, with his arm raised straight upwards, like a flagpole, and his eyes screwed shut. He spoke once again:
“Sir, I don’t see anything.”
The sage smiled a wry smile and spoke directly:
“Ah, then you must open your eyes and look, for only when we look do we find the truth.”
The man in black opened his eyes and made a note in his phone. Phones were not allowed in the temple, but apparently his ignorance extended to reading signs. He spoke again:
“Ok, great thanks, open eyes to see things, got it.”
The sage, sensing he was perhaps not entirely genuine, felt a pang of annoyance.
“Who are you, young one?”, they asked, with just a tinge of arrogance in their voice.
The man in black looked taken aback.
“Oh me? Never mind my name. I’m just travelling. My therapist recommended I get out more, see the world- you know, experience stuff, meditate, etc.”
The sage smiled. Ah the joys of youth. To travel the world was to become whole, to move beyond the narrow constraints of borders and buildings, and to see through the arbitrary lines on a map. The sage recalled their own travels many years ago to the plains of Africa and the crowded markets of India. This young soul clearly had much to learn, but was at least on the right path.
“Your therapist is a wise woman, then”, said the Sage.
The man in black tilted his head, puzzled, and quipped back.
“Oh, man actually. My therapist is a man, and he’s very wise. The wisest person I’ve ever met.”
The old sage chuckled.
“Yes, yes, very funny young one, but everyone knows psychology is just a shadow of the Eastern truths, a mere child stumbling at the foot of a mountain others learned to climb thousands of years ago. In time the West will discover the truths the East has known for millennia.”
The man in black grimaced and made another note in his phone, muttering something about Freud and Jung. He thought for a moment then spoke with skeptical awkwardness:
“Maybe, but not my therapist. They’re the wisest man who ever lived. Here, what’s your number? I’ll text you the details, and you can see for yourself.”
The sage scoffed and turned their head away in derision. The man in black noticed the uncomfortable glances from the others in the temple, but paid them no attention. The sage spoke again with grandiose derision:
“I don’t have a number, young one, technology is but a distraction. Who is this sage, regardless?”
The man in black scratched his nose, swallowed awkwardly, and looked about the room, suddenly aware of just how old the temple was. He wondered whether it complied with modern structural guidelines and for how long it would continue to stand. He spoke awkwardly:
“Oh uh, Doctor John Elvis, Psychotherapist. They’re in San Francisco, my hometown. Hey- speaking of home, I actually need to be going, thanks for the uh, enlightenment, and stuff. Bye bye now.”
Before the sage could respond, the man in black jumped up and hurried away, glancing at the ceiling and the walls as he did, as if expecting a rock to fall on him.
The wise sage sat before the crowd, and noticed for the first time the many eyes staring at them. A sea of blank expressions, all without thought, all waiting to hear another enlightening tale. The sage addressed the crowd with gleeful pride:
“Pay no attention to the strange visitor from afar, I hear San Francisco is a place of great enlightenment. I shall visit this sage and seek their counsel, then when I return we shall all share in their wisdom together. Fear not, my friends, we shall soon attain yet another level of enlightenment.”
The crowd murmured and nodded in agreement, then returned to their silent meditation. The sage sat, eyes closed and knees crossed, wondering just who the strange visitor was, and what they might learn from this Doctor John Elvis.