Tara Zenyora : and the Seven-Jeweled Lighthouse

by Samantha B. Adra

  Once the movie ended, the Balancing Scale that was placed on the Judge’s table immediately finished calculating all the good and bad deeds Tara had accumulated over the course of her life. The Balancing Scale tipped slightly to the black side, indicating more negative deeds than positive ones. Iron shackles immediately appeared to bind up both her hands. Two assistants ― one with a cow’s face and the other with a horse’s face ― appeared on either side of her, ready to take her to the black spiral Gate of Reincarnation for her rebirth in a realm lower than that of the human world.

  “There must be a mistake in the scale! This can’t be true!” cried Tara, flinging her hands in protest. “I’ve never killed anyone, neither have I stolen others’ possessions and engaged in any sexual misconduct. How can I even get a negative scale result? This is just impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!”

  “You do not need to engage in killing, stealing, adultery, lying, or getting yourself intoxicated in order to get a black scale result. The moment your mind starts to differentiate between the dichotomy of good and evil, right and wrong, you will generate likes and dislikes, love and hatred, attachment and aversion, which results in the accumulation of negative karma. If you wish to purify your negative karma and generate positive ones, your mind has to constantly abide upon the Emptiness of the Foremost as taught by the Buddha.”

  Despondent and regretful, Tara was silent and relented, waiting for the Judge to assign her to the next rebirth.

  “Do you have any final words to sum up your life?” asked the Judge.

  Feeling hopeless and dejected, Tara closed her eyes and said, “Every day I’m thinking, how can I bring my family and friends to the Qibaota of the Seven-jeweled Lighthouse so that they can quickly return to their true home.”

  The moment she finished uttering the words, the Balancing Scale immediately tipped over all the way down to the white side. It happened so quickly that most of the black soot on the black side instantly spilled out. The iron shackles on her hands vanished instantly. Jaw-dropped with eyes wide open, Tara was astonished beyond words by the sudden change of events. She wondered, bringing my family and friends back home through the Qibaota is the cause of immeasurable positive merits?

  A blinding flash of golden light appeared from above, completely enveloping Tara, who felt immeasurable peace and happiness.

  “Her time is not up yet. Release her immediately,” said a monk with a golden aura in a deep, stentorian voice. Donning a red and orange monk robe that resembled Tripitaka Master of Tang in Journey to the West and an elaborate golden crown, he held a long staff on his right hand and a Cintamani Pearl in his left hand.

  Frightened by the bright light and fearful of the commanding voice, the two beast-headed assistants fled.

  At that moment, Tara’s body became weightless; she had never felt so blissful and liberated before. She followed the illuminating white light along the light channel, witnessing everything before her death: how Prince Chen knelt before the Dragon King despairingly, begging his father to lend him the Cintamani Pearl to save her life. In the next scene, she saw how Prince Chen had to endure the searing pain of having ten of his silver dragon scales extracted from his white dragon body.

  The Cintamani Pearl that had been placed on Tara’s navel shone brightly with a golden white light the moment her soul reentered her body.

  Tara woke up with a heavy body; both her hands were still clasping the Cintamani Pearl. She opened her eyes and saw the blurry image of Prince Chen in front of her.

  “Tara…. can you hear me?” said Prince Chen anxiously. His heart was filled with hope and anticipation the moment he saw the Cintamani Pearl shining brightly. He knew Tara was back to life.

  She nodded slightly. As she tried to speak by opening her mouth, she found herself too weak to utter any words.

  Knowing that Tara had come back to life, Prince Chen was so overwhelmed with emotions that his eyes became misty and watery.

  CHAPTER 28

  REINCARNATION

  After the eventful day, Prince Chen tenderly looked after Tara as she slowly recovered. It took Tara more than two weeks to completely heal herself. Once she recovered, the Dragon King summoned her to meet him at the Dragon Library.

  The Dragon King was seated on the platform where Venerable Wenshu usually sat. His personal attendant was fanning him with a large fan. Prince Chen was also present, standing beside his father.

  “Auspicious greetings to Dragon King Sagara. May the grace of Qi empower you with peace, happiness, and enlightenment,” said Tara, performing a phoenix curtsy, followed by a full prostration.

  “Tara, you may rise now. I hope you are feeling much better today,” said the Dragon King affectionately.

  “Dragon King, I’m feeling much better now. Thank you for your concern. I haven’t had the opportunity to express my deepest gratitude for saving my life through the Cintamani Pearl. Please allow me to perform another prostration as a way of extending my heartfelt gratitude to you.” Tara did a phoenix curtsy again, followed by another full prostration.

  “Good, good. My child, you may rise. I am old and ailing now. Sooner or later, I have to bequeath all my treasures to my children. If you are my child, you will receive your portion as well.”

  The Dragon King extended his hand and showed Tara and Prince Chen a black obsidian crystal the size of a fist. “This is the Black Obsidian Crystal of Reincarnation. Both of you are going to view your past lives to glean a better understanding of yourselves.”

  He was holding his long, wooden scepter with a sculpted dragon head, which he tapped on the floor three times, and the entire main library hall was transformed into a secret garden with luxuriant hanging vines and fantastical flowers of exuberant colors. In the middle of the secret garden was a concentric, seven-layered, marble water fountain. The long cylindrical tube in the middle was a huge white dragon coiling in a spiral. Water spouted out from the dragon’s mouth on top.

  The black obsidian crystal that the Dragon King was holding on his right hand flew out to hover in mid-air above the dragon’s mouth, twirling and moving on its own. Eventually, it grew larger and larger until the three of them were inside a huge, transparent bubble rolling into outer space amidst glittering stars and spiral galaxies.

  Tara looked up at the sky and witnessed important snippets of her past incarnations as heavenly maidens, humans, and dragons. She saw many of her past lives where she was a dragon princess who repeatedly married a dragon prince whom she instinctively recognized as the past incarnation of Prince Chen.

  “Tara, the dragon princess was you and the dragon prince was Prince Chen,” the Dragon King spoke to Tara telepathically, confirming her intuitive understanding.

  One of the most significant incarnations was her rebirth as a beautiful lady called Zhen in ancient China. One day, she lost her way in the woods while gathering herbs for her physician father. A winsome young man called Roo, a dragon transformed into a human, mysteriously appeared to lead her out of the woods. They fell in love with each other and tied the knot.

  In the beginning, the marital union was blissful and Zhen gave birth to nine sons. However, her husband, Roo, went missing one day and he was deemed dead. Zhen suffered tremendously as she struggled to raise her nine sons as a poor widow all on her own. Eventually, she surmounted all obstacles and emerged as a strong and independent woman who successfully raised all her sons to adulthood.

  Zhen was the first human who had a cross-marriage with a dragon in ancient China. Her nine sons, who carried the dragon lineage in their blood, produced innumerable offspring all over China. Some of these descendants became kings and emperors in successive dynasties throughout history. Hence, the Chinese race is known as the “Descendants of the Dragons.”

  Before Zhen’s death at the age of 60, Roo, whom she thought was dead long ago, suddenly appeared to pay her a final visit. With a wizened, wrinkled, and time-ravaged face, she was no longer the ravishing beauty she once was. Yet, her husband remained youthful
and handsome. It dawned on her that her husband was summoned back to ascend to the throne as the Dragon King, following the unexpected demise of his late father.

  Despite Roo’s avowal of his love for her and his expressions of deep regret for being unable to be there for her all these years, Zhen was bitterly resentful toward him. She thought he was heartless and irresponsible for abandoning her, allowing her to suffer intensely while he enjoyed himself as the Dragon King.

  Roo was the past incarnation of Prince Chen. That explained why she had such a strong karmic affinity with Prince Chen, and why she still carried with her the unresolved past resentment of him until this lifetime.

  In her many past lifetimes as dragon princesses, the Father Dragon King and Mother Dragon Queen doted on her. In one of the lifetimes, her mother gave her an amulet, which was identical to the emerald jade donut-shaped pendant that she was born with in her mouth. Her mother had sacrificed herself to protect Tara from garuda’s attacks. The fighting scene between the dragon and the garuda was exactly what she had witnessed on her fateful wedding day with Prakash.

  “My dragon mother gave me the emerald donut to protect me?” Tara said absent-mindedly as she tried to connect the dots.

  “The jade is not just a protective amulet; it has the power to open the dragon world when the conditions are favorable,” said the Dragon King.

  Tara finally understood the cause behind the tragedy on her wedding day. No wonder most of my friends and families were transported to the dragon world. But how about the missing ones? Prakash and Yu Han are not here…she wondered.

  Having reviewed the events in her past lives, Tara’s emotions turned jagged and her insides became tight. She knew she needed to open the past wound and allow the cyst of past resentment and pain to be healed to become whole again. Tears were welling up in her eyes and streaking across her cheek.

  “Tara, are you alright?” Prince Chen was concerned when he saw her tears on her face.

  “I’m fine. It’s just…a little overwhelming for me to know about the truth of my past.” Tara swiveled around to avoid his gaze. She took out the handkerchief to wipe her tears.

  “I’m sorry about the life between Zhan and Roo,” said Prince Chen with a hint of remorsefulness.

  “I guess Roo must be too busy with his royal life as a Dragon King to care about Zhen and her nine sons.” Tara still felt a little resented toward Prince Chen whenever she thought about his irresponsible actions toward her.

  “No…it’s not like that…I’m sure…” Prince Chen wanted to hold her hand but Tara refused to let him touch her.

  After the viewing of their past rebirths, they returned to the secret garden. The water from the dragon mouth in the water fountain had stopped spouting, resulting in a still water pond.

  Seeing Tara completely distraught, Dragon King knew it was time for him to share his pearls of wisdom.

  “Tara, what do you see in the pond?” asked the Dragon King, pointing towards the water fountain.

  “I see my reflection in the pond,” replied Tara, gazing into her glum reflection.

  The Dragon King threw a pebble in the water, causing ripples to extend outward. “Now what do you see?”

  “The reflection becomes blurry and unclear.”

  “Our mind is the pond. When it is still, we see who we truly are. But when it is bombarded with pebbles of constant thoughts, it becomes blurry. To see things as they are, we need to master our mind through meditation. When your mind is fully developed, you do not need the black obsidian crystal to view your past lifetimes. You are empowered to abide in the state of self-knowing to heal yourself through your inner wisdom,” the Dragon King explained in a calm and soothing voice.

  “Life is like a turning wheel, passing through endless cycles of births and deaths, until one day you find the Qibaota to enter Nirvana. Grief is the beginning of wisdom; it motivates you to awaken to your True Self and understand the true nature of life. Healing begins when you are aware of who you were in your past incarnations Remember, external peace begins with internal peace. Always begin the journey of awakening by looking within yourself,” continued the Dragon King.

  Tara suddenly understood why the Balancing Scale tipped over to the positive side. Samsara is the world of suffering; and Nirvana is the realm of unsurpassed bliss. No wonder the mere intention of bringing my loved ones to the Qibaota has the power to transform negative karma to the positive ones.

  With three taps of the dragon scepter, the Dragon King brought them back to the Dragon Library.

  “This explains why I have a golden dragon tattoo on my back?” asked Tara.

  The Dragon King nodded with a benign smile. “I happened to discover your golden dragon tattoo on your back when you worked in the Dung Department. After checking your past using the Black Obsidian Crystal of Reincarnation, I understand that the golden dragon tattoo is an expression of your strong affinity with the dragon lineage.”

  “Tara, you had been my daughter for immeasurable lifetimes as well. I have decided to recognize your past by bestowing a princess title to you. You shall be known as Princess Zenyora, the Emeritus Daughter of the Dragon King Sagara. The Investiture Ceremony shall be held in autumn.”

  “Thank you, Dragon King,” said Tara, performing a phoenix curtsy.

  “You should address me as Father King now,” the Dragon King chortled.

  “Yes, Father King, I’m grateful for everything you have done for me. May I give you a hug?” said Tara, her heart was overflowing with thankfulness.

  “Sure, my child.”

  “Father King, I love you,” said Tara, warmly embracing the Dragon King. The Dragon King chuckled heartily at Tara’s genuine expression of love toward him.

  Tara remembered her late mother’s bedtime stories about the past lives’ love stories of Prince Siddhartha and Princess Yasodhara. They became husband and wife not just in one lifetime, but immeasurable lifetimes in the remote past. She realized that Love Reincarnation was real; it happened not just to the past lives of the Buddha, but to her and all living beings as well.

  CHAPTER 29

  THE PRINCESS INVESTITURE

  The Dragon Flower Tree’s transformation from the luxuriant blue-green Bodhi leaf to magnificent red-yellow-orange foliage heralded the dawn of autumn. The leaf had also changed from the heart-shaped blue-green Bodhi leaf, to a type of leaf that resembled a heart-shaped four-leaf clover.

  In the dragon world, autumn was a season of thanksgiving for abundance and prosperity as well as a season of gratitude to parents and the elderly. Red was considered by the dragon beings as the auspicious color of autumn. Everyone in the dragon kingdom chose to wear a red or orange outfit in celebration of the advent of the season. Street parades, fireworks, and the releasing of sky lanterns were some of the activities that punctuated the celebrations of the season.

  Preparation for Tara’s formal investiture as the Emeritus Princess of the Dragon King Sagara was in full swing. She had to undergo another round of rigorous sessions to understand the dragon traditions and customs, etiquettes, rites and rituals as an Emeritus Princess in the imperial family.

  One week before the investiture, the Dragon King brought Tara to the Dragon Crown Chamber to choose a crown of her choice as a royal regalia for her investiture.

  Octagonal in shape, the entire Dragon Crown Chamber was made of white diamond. There were sixteen crowns placed on the shelves of the walls in the eight directions. Each of the eight walls had two crowns. Each of the sixteen crowns had its own distinct names:

  East #1: The Vajra Crown of Immovable

  East #2: The Vajra Crown of Sumeru Pinnacle

  Southeast #1: The Vajra Crown of Lion’s Roar

  Southeast #2: The Vajra Crown of Lion King

  South #1: The Vajra Crown of Mid-Air Residence

  South #2: The Vajra Crown of Ever-present Nirvana

  Southwestern #1: The Vajra Crown of Emperor Mien

  Southwestern #2: The Vajra Crown of B
rahma Mien

  West #1: The Vajra Crown of Infinite Life and Light

  West #2: The Vajra Crown of Salvation from Afflictions

  Northwest #1: The Vajra Crown of Magic Power of Sandalwood Fragrance

  Northwest #2: The Vajra Crown of Sumeru Mien

  North #1: The Vajra Crown of Effortless Cloud

  North #2: The Vajra Crown of King of Effortless Cloud

  Northeast #1: The Vajra Crown of the Fear Vanquisher

  Northeast #2: The Vajra Crown of the Achiever of Truth

  “Tara, go and choose the crown of your choice. Close your eyes and feel the energy and affinity of the crown inside you. If the crown chooses you, it will move toward you and attract to you like a magnet,” advised the Dragon King.

  She walked clockwise starting from the East to the Northeastern side of the room. Standing in front of each individual crown placed on the shelves on the wall, she closed her eyes and looked for the signs of affinity, but nothing happened. There was no sound, no movement, and no physical sensations whatsoever. It was not until the very last crown, The Vajra Crown of the Achiever of Truth, that something happened. The moment she stood in front of the crown, there was a strong force dragging her feet and pulling her closer to the crown. Then, the crown started to move and shake on its own until it flew over and placed itself snugly on Tara’s head, like two magnets of opposite poles attracted to each other. The Vajra Crown of the Achiever of Truth had chosen Tara as the owner.