Your health and longevity are my constant prayers. She remembered what Bo told her about his constant prayers and they had finally come true.
At that very moment, Tara heard a voice within her mind telling her what to do: Bind up the demons five times using a golden lasso.
Seated in a lotus position, Tara immediately initiated her Qibaota Meditation. A spiral of intense energy spun rapidly from her root chakra to her crown chakra, shooting up into the sky as a golden white light that transformed her into an emerald-green dragon. Her dragon body dove into the ocean in search of the missing Golden Red Phoenix Sword. She retrieved the sword in the ocean and transformed the sword back to the Red Golden Phoenix hairpin. Then, she multiplied herself into three other dragons of different green shades: teal, chartreuse, and aquamarine. Each form had its own name: Superior Achievement (Tara herself), Boundless Achievement, Pure Achievement, and Steadfast Achievement.
At this moment, the entire ocean shook, trembled, and quaked in six different ways. Millions and billions and trillions of dragon warriors sprung up from the ocean and suspended in mid-air. All the dragon warriors were equipped with an infinite golden lasso ready to bind the demons.
“Bind the demons five times!” Tara commanded her army of dragon warriors. She transformed the golden pearl in the Golden Red Phoenix hairpin into a golden silk ball and performed the ‘Twenty-One Movements of the Phoenix Silk Dance’ to bind up the demons five times. Within a twinkling of an eye, all the demons were bound up and immobilized in mid-air.
Once all the demons were successfully subdued, a stentorian voice came out from Qibaota, “Splendid! Splendid! What you did was supremely marvelous! The Qibaota is all yours.”
A white pearl from the topknot of the king statue inside the Qibaota flew out and landed on Tara’s palm. A giant, eight-petal lotus vehicle appeared underneath her feet, ready to fetch all of her family and friends to transport them to the Qibaota.
Jaw-dropped with amazement, Prince Chen was astounded by Tara’s ability to subdue all of the demons by herself. “Congratulations, darling, you did it! You did it! I’m so proud of you!”
Once Tara had transformed back into a human, Prince Chen sprinted over to give her a warm hug. His exuberance turned into solemnity in an instant and his heart was gripped with intense sorrow. “I’m not sure when I can meet you again, probably never.”
Feeling a twinge of sharp pain in her heart, Tara realized that she loved him all along and she wanted to be with him forever. A complex potpourri of conflicting emotions wreaked havoc in her heart. With tears gushing down from her eyes like a broken dam, she sobbed, “Honey, I’m terribly sorry, I shouldn’t have left you. I love you and I can’t bear to leave you now. I’m so confused. Will you come with me to the human world?”
“Darling, hold your tears,” said Prince Chen sorrowfully, gently wiping away her tears with his fingers. “Your dream of going back home has finally been realized. It hasn’t been easy, so don’t give up now that you’re so close. I can’t follow you; our daughter needs a parent. Please rest assured, I will dote on her just as I dote on you.”
After pausing for a while, he continued with a heavy heart, “Oublie-le. Please forget about me and marry another man in the human world. Go now, they’re waiting for you.”
Tara placed her fingers to stop him from saying. “Je t’aime, honey, our love has no place for oublie-le. You’re my husband, and you’ll always be my husband. If not, how can we be spouses again in this lifetime? Gratitude is my True North. I promise to come back to you and I will.”
She took the paixiao that Bo had returned to her and placed it in Prince Chen’s hand. “This paixiao means a lot to me and I would like to give it to you as a parting gift. Whenever you play this paixiao, you’ll remember me; it’s as if I’m there with you.”
“Thank you darling. I have something to give you too.” He took out a mini drawstring golden sack from his waist pocket and gave it to her. “This is a gift given to me by Venerable Smile on my birthday. It means a lot to me too. It’s my love for you.”
Embracing each other passionately, they touched each other’s nose and forehead, performing the Dragon Love Gesture once more before their separation. The energies of their love combined together in a spiral that shot out another white orb, which flew to the Dragon Egg Fertility Center. Prince Chen shared a passionate kiss with Tara before finally releasing her and letting her go with indescribable reluctance.
With a leaden heart and tear-stained cheeks, she turned her head toward the magnificent diamond of Qibaota. Together with her relatives and friends, Tara boarded the white lotus vehicle which transported them up to the top of the Qibaota.
Prince Chen tried hard to appear strong and encouraging to her, but he could not restrain his tears anymore. Singha patted his master on the back, giving him the necessary support. Even Queenzy shed tears of vermillion crystals and squawked loudly in distress.
Tara regretted having to leave Prince Chen to go back to the human world. She secretly berated herself for disregarding Prince Chen’s feelings and needs to realize her own dreams. Yet, the moment she thought of having to live in that prison palace sharing one husband with four concubines, she gritted her teeth and chose the Qibaota. I love you honey, but Qibaota remains my ultimate vow.
CHAPTER 45
THE SEVEN-JEWELED LIGHTHOUSE
The top of the Qibaota was a large, pavilion-like structure with an upturned roof. The entire circumference was surrounded by a glass panel. When they reached the top, a round glass door opened spontaneously, allowing them to enter the Qibaota.
On the peak of the mountain, the Seven-jeweled Lighthouse majestically perched on the cliff. There were a few massive waterfalls coming down from the cliff, similar to those that are found in Milford Sound in New Zealand¿.
Inside the pavilion was a large lotus carved in high relief on its ceiling. There were two colossal statues of a king and a queen dressed in a style reminiscent of the Han Dynasty in China. They sat on the lion thrones on both sides of a round glass door. On top of the round glass door was a gold-girded horizontal plate with Chinese calligraphic characters that said, “The Door of Sunyata.”
The king was on the left side, and he had a white pearl on his topknot. The queen was on the right side and she held a black obsidian crystal on her right palm.
Tara remembered what the Snow Fairy taught her about the mantra required to unlock the Door of Sunyata. She saw a lotus motif with eight petals on the floor just in front of the Door of Sunyata. Instinctively, she sat cross-legged in the middle of the lotus, closed her eyes, and repeatedly intoned the mantra taught to her by the Snow Fairy,
“Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.
Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.
Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.”
The next moment, a melodious, lilting voice spontaneously sounded within the Qibaota:
“Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, when practicing the Prajna Paramita deeply, perceives that all five skandhas are empty.
As such, she is empowered to save living beings from all suffering and afflictions.
Shariputra, form does not differ from Emptiness, Emptiness does not differ from form. Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is form. The same is true of feelings, perceptions, volitions, and consciousness.
Shariputra, all phenomena are the expressions of Emptiness. There is no creation and destruction, no impurity or purity, no waxing or waning,
Hence, the Middle of Emptiness goes beyond form, feelings, perceptions, volitions, consciousness,
Beyond eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind;
Beyond sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and objects of the mind;
Beyond the realm of sight all the way to the realm of mind consciousness;
Beyond ignorance until the extinction of ignorance;
Beyond aging and death until the extinction of aging and death;
Beyond suffering, causes of suffering, cess
ation of suffering, and methods to cease suffering;
Beyond the cognition, beyond the attainment until there is nothing to attain.
Bodhisattva, by anchoring upon Prajna Paramita, is free from the impediments of the mind.
By virtue of the freedom in my mind, I am fearless and courageous.
By relinquishing misguided views of life, I attain Nirvana.
All Buddhas of the three existences achieve Supreme Perfect Enlightenment by relying upon Prajna Paramita.
Thus, knowing that Prajna Paramita is the mantra of great divine powers, the mantra of illumination, the unsurpassed mantra, the unrivalled mantra, I am empowered to uproot all suffering and heal my life. This is the absolute truth. Hence, I intone the mantra of Prajna Paramita:
Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha
Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha
Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha
With a loud click, the Door of Sunyata opened spontaneously and a ray of golden sunlight streamed in. When the rays of the sun cast its light upon the mighty waterfall in front of Qibaota, a rainbow appeared as a bridge connecting the Qibaota to the other side of the world where they would decide whether to enter Nirvana or Samsara.
“What’s that sound?” Patrick asked.
A rumbling sound ensued; one by one, then drove by drove, all demons that were bound five times and suspended in mid-air were absorbed by the light of Nirvana.
“If you wish to go back home to the human world, remember to choose the Darkness of Samsara, not the Light of Nirvana,” Tara repeated a few times to all her family and friends, making sure they understand what they needed to do to go back to the human world.
One by one, Tara’s relatives and friends started to cross over to the side of the rainbow bridge. The rainbow bridge was like a moving escalator that brought them closer to the Light.
In spite of their intention to go back to the human world, the moment they witnessed the illuminating light of the most unsurpassed beauty, their minds and bodies were enveloped with immeasurable bliss, love, and peace. All of them entered the Light of Nirvana one by one. Tara and her father were the last two to cross over.
“Daddy, the light is Nirvana, and the darkness is Samsara. If you wish to go back to the human world, you will need to choose the darkness and not the light,” Tara explained. Worried that her father did not get it, she repeated herself a few times to remind him.
Once Tara passed the midpoint of the rainbow bridge, the arch of the slope made Patrick fall off from his wheelchair and he went sliding down the rainbow bridge toward the light. Having seen the light of unsurpassed beauty, he too experienced boundless peace and bliss within his whole being. His heart was pulled to the light and his body was absorbed into the light. He had finally entered the Light of Nirvana.
“No!” Tara could not believe that her father had chosen Nirvana. Her dream of looking after her father to make up for the lost years was dashed.
When she approached the Light, Tara’s heart gravitated to the Light as well. Seeing the light of unsurpassed beauty and experiencing unconditional love, bliss and peace, all her past miseries dissolved in an instant. Her heart had chosen to enter Nirvana as well.
However, just before she entered the Light of Nirvana, she heard Prince Chen’s imploring voice coming from beyond the Qibaota, “Don’t leave me!”
Owing to her affection and attachment toward him, she instinctively turned her head and looked back at the Qibaota. The intense rays of light from Qibaota pierced into her eyes and blinded her instantly.
“Ahhh….” With excruciating pain, she covered both her eyes and plunged into the darkness of Samsara immediately.
CHAPTER 46
MOUNT PUTUO ISLAND
The noon sun was like a blazing ball of fire in the sky. Clouds were thin, and the wind was still. It was more than a month since Tara was reported missing.
Someone spotted Tara lying, face up, on the pebbled ground not far away from the Chek Jawa Visitor Center in Ubin Island. “A lady is lying on the ground over there!”
“Call the police now,” said a short, pudgy man, eyeing Tara suspiciously. The man could not fathom who, in this modern era, would choose to wear a white Hanfu that resembled the one worn by the Little Dragon Maiden (“Xiao Long Nu”) from Jin Yong’s novel, The Return of the Condor Heroes. Her hair was combed up in a bun, ornamented by a golden red phoenix hairpin and pink dragon flower hairpin, which made her look exactly like someone from the ancient times.
“Are you alright? Can you hear me?” said a middle-aged, stout lady who went over to check if Tara was alright.
Tara opened her eyes and all she saw was darkness. “Am I in Singapore now? Why is it so dark over here?”
The lady was perplexed by what Tara said. “It’s noon time now. You’re in Ubin Island, Singapore. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Someone had called the police; and you’ll be taken to the hospital soon.”
On the first night in the hospital, Tara dreamed of her father. “Sweetie, thank you for leading me to Nirvana. It’s wonderful being in the Land of Immeasurable Light. I’m happy and at peace beyond words. You’ve done well. Nirvana is the most extraordinary gift of filial piety you could have given to me.”
As the Chinese saying goes, “Of all the virtues, filial piety is the foremost.” Tara was at peace knowing that she had fulfilled her obligation as a filial daughter to lead her father to his True Home in Nirvana.
Tara moved in with Mia and her family after she was found blind in Pulau Ubin. Mia hired a domestic helper to support her with her daily needs. Tara lived in a daze; it was as if she was still living in a bad dream, refusing to wake up. She was desperately trying to accept the fact that she was blind. But deep inside her, she knew that her blindness was a testament that her experience in the dragon world was real.
Every now and then, she would take out and caress the two hairpins–the golden red phoenix hairpin given to her by Bo and the pink dragon flower hairpin given to her by Prince Chen–as a reminder to herself that everything she went through in the dragon world was not just a dream. She still wore the boat wheel necklace given by the prince and she kept the white conch shell close to her. She would touch the mini drawstring bag in her hand and talk to the white conch shell daily, even though she did not receive a reply. There was no voice and no sound that emerged from the conch shell.
What she did not know was that Prince Chen heard everything she said to him via the white conch. He missed Tara dearly and he played the Paixiao every night to express his love and longing for her.
“We found your donut-shaped emerald jade on the ground not far from the Chek Jawa Visitor Center,” said Mia, putting the pendant inside Tara’s palm. “The pendant must have fallen off that day.”
“Thank you, Mia,” Tara told her. “Believe me or not, it was the monkey with the headband that snatched my pendant on that day.”
Tara shared with Mia all her experiences in the dragon world since the day she went missing. Mia believed in Tara and her experiences in the dragon world.
About five months later, Tara noticed that she had a bump on her tummy, and it was growing bigger by the day. A check-up by a gynecologist had confirmed that Tara was carrying a five-month-old baby boy. Her emotions were complex; it was a mixture of sorrow, regrets, and yet gratitude and happiness. She was thankful that the baby boy was a gift from her husband and that she was no longer alone.
Tara had decided to be self-reliant and self-empowered because she was going to be a mother soon. There was no point in dwelling upon past miseries and regrets. Although she could no longer work as a lawyer or dance to her heart’s content, the baby was her greatest motivation and strength to keep hope alive.
With the support from the Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped, she learned Braille and how to use a computer. She also learned how to take public transport with the help of a Golden Retriever guide dog that she named Coco.
Ryan
and Shi Min finally tied the knot that December. Tara attended their Soka wedding ceremony at Tampines Soka Center. Their wedding reminded her of her dragon engagement with Prince Chen; especially the moment when they held the bucket and threw the jumping golden fish into the lake to seal their love bond.
Attending Ryan’s and Shi Min’s Soka wedding was the first time she came across Nichiren Buddhism and the chanting of “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” to awaken the Buddha-nature within. She was inspired by the philosophy of Human Revolution as a way to achieve self-empowerment. Many personal experiences, such as that of Tina Turner and Herbie Hancock, reaffirmed her faith in the power that ordinary people possess to transform suffering into happiness and to create values for the peace and happiness of humanity.
By sharing her experiences of how a blind woman raised a child on her own with minimum help, Tara developed oratorical skills and the confidence of public speaking. She went on to become a sought-after motivational speaker.
Tara did fulfill her promise to her mom and established a Cultural Harmony Foundation for the Peace of Humanity. With this foundation, her mother’s lifelong dream of promoting harmonious co-existence between different faiths and ethnic groups through the celebration of diverse cultures in the world had finally come true.
She also successfully established a Cultural Dance Academy to teach people various traditional, cultural and modern contemporary dance movements. Although she could no longer dance, she was grateful that she could at least share the joy of dancing with the world through a dance academy.
Moreover, she kept her promise of doing a spring-cleaning of all her overflowing possessions by using the Marie Kondo method. She donated most of her clothing to charity, sold off her branded handbags to raise funds for supporting the causes of climate change, ocean protection, and environmental sustainability.
Slightly adapting to Prince Chen’s philosophy, her nouveau creed was: “If I don’t live simply, how can I have the clarity and capacity to deal with the complexity of life?” Mindful of this philosophy, she adopted a quasi-minimalist lifestyle. She even got herself tailored a set of “standard uniforms,” one for each day of the week. That was her way of being mindful of the Seven-jeweled Lighthouse within her every day.
Tara Zenyora : and the Seven-Jeweled Lighthouse Page 29