The Reverse Side also has a Reverse Side

Andrea was exhausted. She had walked for five straight hours without finding a way out of the jungle. It was a hot but rainy day. Fog was dense in certain areas of the valley that Andrea could see if she walked closer to the rocky edge of a cliff. She kept repeating in her mind: “You can only find it, if you dont search for it.” “Now what in the world did he mean by that?” As she pondered the meaning, the sun grew hotter and hotter. Prespiration on her forehead turned to sweat. The rain stopped. It seemed as if the gigantic mountain ripped apart the sky with its tip. Andrea thought of the feeling she must have climbing to the top, seeing every living thing, being so close to whomever conceived this majestic land. She kept on moving north, or at least what she thought was north. No compass, no equipment, no water, maybe this was a mistake she kept thinking. But now it was too late, either find it or die trying. Another half of an hour passed and with it so did her last energy, she dropped to her knees, with her hands in the dirt she looked aimlessly around for a lake, or at least some drinkable water. A large puddle of rainwater was situated five feet away, just far enough for her to crawl and fall face down into in. She drank and felt the warm, muddy water scrape down her throat, sand in her mouth. Thats when she passed out. It was the most strange feeling she had ever experienced, slowly the world turned dark like a big black circle closing in slowly around her eyes. With a last glimpse of hope she looked up towards the mountain, if she hadnt thought she was hallucinating from dehydration, she swore she could see an old man with white hair standing on a ledge, looking down.

It was morning outside, ciccadas went to slowly ceasing their nightly chirping rituals. The moon began to fade. Andrea awoke with shock, she didnt know where she was, lying on a mat. Sitting up, she tried to comprehend the beauty of her surroundings. It was an old traditional Zen School. Lotus flowers were placed high above to give the impression there is now roof to cover the building just the pedals themselves. Stones marked the small ways all around the bamboo walls, covered in strange symbols and cirles. It was empty, she could see other mats, where people would sleep on, and a little stove where fresh tea had been prepared. Andrea took down the wet cloth that was on her forehead and slowly stood up, she still didn’t have the strength to walk with a straight back. As she sat down by the stove to drink some tea, a man came in. He wore a black robe, it covered his body almost in entirety. The sleeves around his hands fell almost to the floor. It gave the impression of two giant black holes where his arms where hidden. The man was bald headed but the long white chin-beard indicated that his hair growth had not yet stopped. With a motion of his right hand he pulled slowly on his beard and gently felt through it. Andrea gazed with awe towards him. She had never seen such a vibrant glow around a person as he entered the room. The man seemed to have an aura, his personal energy floating, barely noticeable but still around to catch a glimpse of. “I must be mistaken, but I remember seeing you standing on a ledge right before I passed out.” She said trying to remember her vision. The man looked without blinking, he stared at Andrea and waved his left hand to show her to stand up. She stood up, slightly worried and looked him directly into the eyes. They were white, solid white, the little black pupils were the only counterpoint to them. He slightly bowed down, she imitated his motion and he walked over slowly. “It is always wise to treat everyone with the amount of respect you want given back to you.” His voice echoed through the room. Some might think this is impossible due to the bamboo walls, but it happened and Andrea knew where she was. Suddenly she remembered. This was a Zen school. The most sought after in all of China. She fell to her knees, this time in respect and awe of this monk. “Master Zin Zu. I have been searching for you, I was on the verge of dying out here, thank you.” Andrea said gracefully with her head bent down towards the bamboo flooring.

The monk helped her up and they both walked to the stove and sat down next to it. Zin Zu poured her some tea into the porcelain and they both drank. “What is it that you came this long and dangerous way to find me and my brethren?” He asked.
“It is enlightenment that I seek, I want to learn the teachings of Zen trough Dharma practice and meditation. I have heard so much about you, where did you learn to speak English so well?” She asked. He looked up from his cup and simply shook his head. “I can only speak a sequence of words, what you understand is what you interpret as English.” “I understand.” “I doubt that you do.” He said coldly. “I will teach you the Zen meaning, but you must be patient, and obiedient to everything I say.” He warned her. She nodded and he got up. Zin Zu walked away outside. Andrea was left alone in the room to ponder what he said. Then another man appeared, also from the Zen garden outside. His robe was the same as the master’s. But he was not a born chinese nor of chinese decent. Though bald headed it was clear he came from the western world. The man came to Andrea, he sat down and they drank tea. “Hello, how are you?” “Im fine, thank you for asking, I heard Master Zu saved your life in the jungle down by the mountain?” he asked, slightly grinning. “Indeed, though I dont think it is that funny. Mind you, I almost died.” “Have no fear, no one dies searching for this school, I found it too. I passed out of exhaustion, its the only way.” he replied. Andrea looked puzzled. She stood up, the man did too, during which their arms sligthly touched and both smiled looking into each others eyes. “Come follow me, I will show you around.” He said leading her towards the garden.

The Zen garden was a unified place of peace, monks sat on flat rocks, reading ancient scriptures or meditating. The scent of lotus flowers and the quiet flowing sounds of spring water coming from a well, were overwhelming. None of the other monks seemed to notice this incredibly stunning beautiful woman walking amidst them. Surely it must have startled one or the other, that is what Andrea thought. But she understimated the power of Zen meditation and Dharma. They continued to walk past perfectly placed rocks and even the little gravel stones seemed to be placed equally and individually in its right place, Andrea at first walked slowly as not to disrupt the neat walkway.

“This is the hut that was built for the ones who seek ultimate enlightenment and wisdom. To achieve this, one must percieve the notions of his mind and break free of reality.” He said as both approached a small hut. The man pulled the bamboo sticks aside that were hanging from the roof to cover the entrance. Inside it was dark and cool, even though the sun was directly shining on the roof, inside it felt like a nighttime cool breeze. Mats and pillows lay on the ground aswell as scented wax that was spread on rocks to be used as candles. In the middle of the room, a big statue sat still. “This is Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of our religion, the one to whom we seek for answers.” The statue was of pure gold which almost burned the eyes if you looked to long into it. Andrea could not believe the sight of this giant Buddha sitting in front of her. “It seems to be pure gold, how heavy is this statue?” She asked with curiosity. The man answered: “So heavy only two people with great strength can carry it.”

The next day, Master Zin Zu awoke early in the morning. He arose and looked to his brothers who gathered around and sat down with him in a circle. No one spoke as to await what the master would say. “I will go now, the sun will be my guidance and the dirt my path. Return I shall with important news. Then two of my strongest brothers will follow me along my path. The reverse side also has a reverse side.” as he spoke the echo returned and all the monks listened and held on to every word as if it were a matter of life and death. Zin Zu started to walk along a dirt path deep into the jungle, it took three hours to reach a ledge he was looking for, close to the edge he spotted a shiny object down by the stream After a long climb Zin Zu arrived at the stream, the water was cold, he stepped in to look at the object. Each step of his, was well planned, so as not to touch the two bodys that lay motionless in the cold water.

Master Zin Zu looked at the object and said with even the slightest hint of a grin:
“Meet the Buddha, Kill the Buddha”

The End