The auspicious night finally arrived, accompanied by a brilliant moon playing in a deep, black sky that was busily spewing out its myriad diamonds. A silvery-white glow suffused the entire forest as we made our way to the meadow under this immense canopy of stars, and only the bubbling of a nearby brook along with muted sounds of animals in the forest could be heard. Eager to learn more about this fascinating inner work, I was anxious to begin, but a John insisted we discuss a few things first. To begin with, he suggested that we observe every full moon night by staying up all night - practicing our inner work and discussing our progress, as well as deciding on how we should proceed with our search for the key.

He then asked permission to speak, a courtesy extended by teachers in the forest indicating that the teacher regarded himself to be no better or further advanced than other key seekers, merely more senior. He took a seat on a rock and began; "Seeking the key is not related to a religion, a faith, a belief, or a path. It s an inquiry into Reality."

I noticed a point of light darting around the tree line across the meadow.

"Key seekers simply go deep within themselves to find Truth without prejudice or preconceived opinions. We never recruit others to join us, for until they feel an inner-urge to seek out Reality, the inner work will not reverberate within their hearts. When they are ready, they will seek us out – nobody can be forced or coerced regarding Truth. And although Reality resides in all hearts, only a few have the courage to face it. If we are asked, we will openly reveal everything we have experienced in the forest, holding back nothing, but this work is a solitary endeavor. It must be that way because until we solve our own problems, we can never be a help to others. If we try to teach too early, we will confuse others as well as ourselves with misleading information, making things worse. Teaching what we know is deceit. Teaching what we are is Truth. A key seeker is not fit to teach others until he no longer desires to teach. That way, the teaching remains pure, and not tainted by ego."

I must admit I wanted to run out and tell everybody in the world about this incredible key seeking, but I could see from a John's comments, that it was not done this way. I would surely misinform someone at this beginning stage of my work.

The point of light I noticed earlier was coming closer. Suddenly, it descended next to a John and grew into a small, semi-transparent female being. For a moment, I was sure that it was Ariya, but this being was not as brilliant, and had a greenish-yellow tint, not a bluish-green tint. She also seemed younger, although her overall appearance was very similar to Ariya's, with long hair and dark eyes. Was it possible that these immaterial beings could sift through our human minds and then project themselves in the most appealing and attractive way? I would have to remember to ask a John how she appeared to him.

"My name is Savaka," she said, "and I have come to seek advice from a great teacher."

A John, apparently accustomed to these forest beings, replied, "You are very welcome, and I will answer your questions if I can. Are you familiar with key seekers?"

"Yes, that is why I'm here," she answered. "I know my days as an immaterial being are numbered. Eventually I will find myself back in a human body and I just do not want to go through that again. Human life is too uncertain. I have heard that the key is the only real hope of non-returning, and therefore I seek your advice."

"Yes, of course," said a John.

"In my previous life," she continued, "my time was spent as a young man on the battlefields of my sphere. I tried so very hard to be a good soldier and represent my country, but my country was hated by many other countries, and some of them did not regard life as being precious – they willingly sacrificed themselves for their religious ideals. One day, a horrible weapon fell upon our country and we retaliated against the ones we believed were responsible with our most powerful weapons. But the response was misunderstood by many other countries, and they in turn unleashed their weapons. Then, because of our honor, we had no choice but to unleash ours as well.

My sphere became devoid of life, but this took a long time. I was only able to survive because I was stationed overseas far from the main battles, however, all commerce was stopped, and there was no food except for what we could steal from each other.

Things became worse as everyone fended for themselves and we became no different than animals just trying to survive. We were the only animals left. People began dying from strange illnesses as the whole sphere became contaminated from the dust of the horrible weapons, blown about by the prevailing winds. Fathers and mothers were forced to watch their children die in their arms with no help available, and there were many suicides, entire families together, as things became worse.

Finally, nothing was left to live for, no water, no food, and everyone still alive was ill. I was one of the last. I was stationed in the Southern hemisphere and held on as long as I could, helping those around me, but in the end, all I remember is the sound of a rifle, and then a white flash, and then I found myself in this forest as an immaterial being." (To be continued)

Author's Bio: 

E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-nine years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit www.AYearToEnlightenment.com