《Why, I Wonder: How Is It Possible That Deaths Hold No Secrets?》 The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def - Chapter 1.1 The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def - Chapter 1.1 The Jade Chakra Dragon thundered first, her glimmering surface shimmering and rippling like liquid light, slicing through the skies as the avalanche roared and crashed below. My alchemist master and I trudged through the snow, each step heavy with foreboding. Patterns of a map shone like neon lights across her entire body, rippling and glowing as though alive, following the fluid movements of her serpentine form. It was utterly beautiful¡ªlike a Ray of Energy Light, shimmering and rippling like liquid fire, crackling with the sharp intensity of a lightning spear. It surged forward as though cast from a celestial wand, its glowing tendrils slicing through the vast void, seeking to pierce the cosmos brimming with millions of lights ahead. To connect. To transcend. My rescued dog, Drakos, found at the Sky Funeral Site of the B?n Religion, followed gracefully. I looked up, bracing for death, prepared to meet the end.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. There was no time for a final glance at Master¡ªor at Drakos. Ah, one more death to add to my life. That of my own. Well, all humans die, yes, you and me, die. But, alas, I never thought I¡¯d face the end like this¡ªbeneath the gaze of the Celestial Jade Dragon. (Rather, the Jade Chakra Dragon.) And I named her ¡°JC Drake,¡± secretly, for a reason that I am yet able to confide, judging from certain elementary complexity as of the void of wind of the Four Elements (or Four Almighty Fire Wind).Her luminous form unraveled the tapestry of creation¡ªmountains crumbled, oceans surged, continents split¡ªall within the living embroidery that she carried. Now, in this era¡ªToday, circa 20,000,011.1.1 after the last civilization¡ªfear of death confronts us before I can share tales of it, much less my near-death experiences. And yet, transcending the states of dying, existing in the phenomena between births and the afterlife, there is meaning. "Even at my age, I can still tell that they matter to us¡ªespecially the energy beam from the celestial wand. It¡¯s like the soul, sliding and swimming toward the vast, endless backdrop ahead. Kind of like... you know... a glowing sperm racing to the womb of the universe. The beam becomes the way itself¡ªthrough and through, guiding the whole dying-and-after-death thing, like a savior pointing toward some big cosmic truth. Eventually, it¡¯s the consciousness of the dying¡ªor, the soul that just jumped out¡ªmaking its way to the yet-to-be-known side. Right?" The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def - Chapter 1.2 The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def - Chapter 1.2 Drakos nudged me, shaking off the snow and the strange abilities bestowed upon him by the avalanche, just as the Celestial Jade Dragon pierced a hole through the skies. "That dragon," Drakos muttered, his voice low and gravelly, still unfamiliar to both of us after his newfound ability to speak. "It left something... in me." He flicked his tail, as though testing its strength. I stared at him, stunned. "You can talk?" "Apparently." Drakos tilted his head, snow falling from his ears. "But don¡¯t get used to it. I prefer the quiet." Master, unfazed as always, simply chuckled. "The elements work in strange ways, my friend. If the Jade Dragon chose you, it is for a reason." Drakos let out a huff. "Great. No pressure, then." And then, somehow, I witnessed the glittering map melding with Drakos, the skies, and CJ Dragon, though I couldn''t begin to explain it. Meanwhile, Master resumed his lesson, as if an avalanche and a celestial dragon were just minor inconveniences.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°To the best of your memory,¡± he said, turning to me with a stern gaze, ¡°what are the four elements?¡± I hesitated. "Earth represents solidity; water, fluidity; fire, heat; and wind..." "The movement of consciousness," Drakos finished for me, his tone laced with sarcasm. "See? I¡¯ve been paying attention." Master nodded approvingly. "Perhaps there¡¯s hope for you yet." Somehow, we survived the avalanche. The weight of the moment settled over me, and I glanced at Drakos. "I¡¯ll try to explain all of this someday. The dragon, the elements, the avalanche¡ªeverything." Drakos rolled his eyes. "Just make it a good story. Death, after all, tells the best ones." Tales dear to the heart, even. Today, after crossing the icy mountains to attend to Tashi Def, I realized my master seemed like an extraordinarily knowledgeable Mantra guru for the dead. In my little brain, though, I wondered how his knowledge would help with anything at all¡ªwith life, with death, with everything we exist amidst. I reckoned that we are all made up of these elements. Yet the hard part was understanding how solidity, feeling, thinking, and acting are intertwined with them. Even if I understood, how would they matter to Tashi Def? ¡ªOr to my beloved deceased father? To my surviving mother, grandmother, and siblings? I should have been mindful: ¡°Not to be self-absorbed.¡± But then¡­ what about me? I didn¡¯t even know how to pose proper questions? Questions I should have learned to ask long ago. Can you understand why this felt like a re-enactment of something greater? If not, let me tell you the paradoxical truth: dead men tell the best tales. The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def - Chapter 1.3 The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def - Chapter 1.3 Yeah, we had walked for hours when we found Tashi Def, already in rigor mortis. ¡°Probably not rigor, Master?¡± I said. I had no medical training, traditional or otherwise. Not at my age. Still, Tashi Def triggered the memory of my father¡¯s death. Back then, I was too young to question much. My mother and grandmother held the handles of their Sutra Scrolls, mumbling prayers to our goddess in a solid, deliberate rhythm to ensure every breath contributed to the count of their chants. ¡°Om Mani Padme Hum¡±¡ªlikely Avalokiteshvara, the compassionate one who hears the cries for liberation. But what lingered most in my memory was the odor of putrefaction and the discoloration of flesh. The same was happening to Tashi now. He had been severely injured, his limbs broken and hanging by bloody flesh, after falling from high ground while traveling to sell his handmade crafts on the other side of the mountains. That much I knew. It left an impression on me. My peers never asked such questions, but I¡­ I wondered. ¡°Why was I never allowed to see anything else, Master?¡± I leaped softly over stones as we walked. ¡°Why?¡± Without telling me anything, Master and I approached the broken hut in the Himalayas, where snow blew through gaps in the walls, some melting onto the orthodox bonfire indoors. Master ascended the stone stairs briskly, his breath steady, while mine came in uneven gasps. I could hear the labored breathing of Tashi¡¯s ninety-year-old father as he made his way to the front stairs to support Master by the elbow. The scent of old age lingered in the air. Strangely, another sound of labored breathing reached my ears. It wasn¡¯t just breath¡ªit was the gurgling of Tashi¡¯s own murmuring breaths, growing louder as we drew closer, carrying with it an odor I could scarcely endure. But the family gathered by Tashi¡¯s bedside seemed too consumed by their grief to notice. The cries of two women pierced the air, their sorrow wrapping around me like a suffocating fog. It¡¯s difficult to imagine how such overwhelming sadness could manifest in such loud, anguished sobs. They mumbled chants, or perhaps mere words, as if to keep something at bay. Of them all, Tashi¡¯s wife was the most inconsolable. The father sat silently. his face etched with deep wrinkles; his eyes distant as if his mind were already slipping away. The candlelight flickered in the room; the air heavy with the scent of wax. Candles were placed in the three corners, casting a soft glow across the stone house, their light dancing on the white blanket draped over Tashi¡¯s body.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The blanket, white as death itself, seemed to echo the grief in the room. In that moment, I thought I could hear the silent sobs of his father¡¯s mind, flipping like a reel of memories. It reminded me of the last time I saw my own father¡ªa moment etched deeply in my heart. Eventually, the father wiped his eyes while others continued to sob. Master stood tall, raising his hands in a commanding gesture. ¡°Do not cry,¡± he said firmly yet his voice was soft. ¡°It will not help. Tears will only confuse his mind and soul as they transition.¡± Master, stout and wrapped in his reddish-brown robe, looked almost surreal. His tone and posture were noble, even regal. The father and mother glanced at him briefly. The father¡¯s eyes lifted just for a second before lowering again, his focus on the rosary he held tightly. He chanted softly, the beads clicking rhythmically in his fingers. The wife¡¯s sobbing slowed as she opened her eyes wide, the weight of the moment silencing her. The mother¡¯s suppressed, mournful cries tightened their grip on my heart. The children, their faces streaked with tears, convulsed in grief. The tears fell like beads of sesame-pearls of a rosary breaking loose from its thread, scattering across the room, each drop a reflection of their heartbreak. ¡°Has he ever learned any of the Prayers for the Dying?¡± Master faced him and nodded; his tall hat, resembling that of a sorcerer, was brown instead of black. I¡¯m afraid not¡­ Tashi has a big family to feed.¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡± They were both soft-spoken. ¡°Tashi travels far to pray for health and happiness for all your family. He is a compassionate man. It was I who neglected him for so long.¡± Tashi¡¯s father¡¯s tears burst forth in awe, kowtowing to Master while still seated. Now I began to grasp how Grandma must have felt when a silver-haired elder had to bury a young, dark-haired son. A sudden, sharp tang in my nose overwhelmed me with sorrow, seemingly out of nowhere. Master turned to Tashi Def, read his pulse, and placed his hand down with a slight shake of his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do with the procedure now. I can try to speak to him before he stops breathing.¡± I handed him a tiny bronze statue of the Sleeping Buddha. The Buddha lay not on his back but on his right side, palm supporting his chin and head, ready for his final departure into Nirvana¡ªanother expression for transitioning into the ultimate state beyond the living realms. I suppose you¡¯ve heard of it. The master showed the statue to the family. ¡°You see, we must help Tashi turn his body this way so that cool air can seep through his skin and bring him peace.¡± The room fell silent, serene. Together, we positioned Tashi as instructed, gently tucking him into the posture. ¡°And now,¡± the master said, ¡°I can only guide his soul with the Instructions to Transcend the State Between Life and Death. Remember, he can still hear us until his final breath.¡± What remains etched in my memory are fragments of the master¡¯s words to Tashi Def. His tone was hoarse yet warm, measured perfectly in volume and cadence. I watched as the master, holding a page of the Pipal leaf sutra, approached Tashi¡¯s bedside. His voice, like a whisper, filled the stillness. Tashi Def, you must listen very attentively. Tashi Def, you must listen very attentively. Tashi Def, you must listen very attentively. Do not be afraid. Now, your consciousness will gradually fade. Your body will begin to dissolve into the elements. It will feel as though you are being crushed under a great weight. That moment will come swiftly. (Master paused to check his pulse, then shook his head.) It¡¯s time now. It¡¯s time for you to truly know yourself. (And then, Tashi Def passed away.) The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def – Chapter 1.4 The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def ¨C Chapter 1.4 Tashi Def, you must listen very attentively. Death has arrived. Do not feel lonely¡ªthis is a journey every being must undertake. No one escapes it. You will encounter voices, sounds, and lights, but do not cling to them. Do not hold on to this world¡ªthere is no staying here. Those sights and sounds are illusions, nothing more¡­ (At that moment, it seemed as if Tashi¡¯s soul was flung outward, his mind casting it free. Layers of film-like images unfolded, one atop the other, as though the essence of his being was slipping beyond. Master¡¯s instructions became too intricate for me to follow further.) For the first time, tears nearly overwhelmed me. For the first time, I felt as though I had glimpsed the secrets of a soul departing my world¡ªof tales that had ended, of lives that had come and gone. Including those of the masters before me¡­ and my father. Alas! I had missed one crucial part of the instructions¡ªI heard three long, labored breaths from Tashi¡¯s nose¡ªthe longest I¡¯d ever witnessed (not that I had witnessed that of my deceased father''s, mind you). The final exhale stretched painfully, until people would say his breath had ceased¡ªor perhaps, that he had taken his last. (Some even told me that there might be gurgling gasps before the final breath.) Tashi had finally passed away. I remember Master told us that, after their demise, they wouldn¡¯t know they had already died. They could see their family members, but they could not see him, and his film like state of being changed rapidly to many expressions filled with emotions, sad, confused and surprise when either lights or dark forces suddenly appeared, approached; and the forceful darkness would feel like excruciatingly fearful attacking. Tashi Def, you could see your family members crying, you come to your bed side, but you do not have to lie there anymore, you could only see a corpse, you can see family and relatives cried for you name, but, no matter how hard you try to touch them, no one can ever feel you. That is the moment that you feel sad. ¡­¡­Then you see lights¡­¡­ As such, you should immerse onto the bright light. The light has no color nor smell; but pure, void, yet filled with joy. That is a river of spirit that will lead you to transcend the life and death. To liberation. That is the shining moment of souls.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I cannot go into any more details. That was all I could remember and relate. Perhaps later, when I grow older. Anyway, this is most important, when Master raised his eyebrows, opened his eyes widely and suddenly raised his voice rather sternly: ¡°No! Tashi Def, you do not enter the forest! It¡¯s a passage to the soul lives of animal. ¡°No! Not the dark hole too. Pull yourself away, now! That would be the worst!¡± Eventually, Master concluded the session. The family, witnessing the outcome, approved with quiet reverence. They believed that Tashi Def¡¯s soul¡ªor consciousness¡ªhad gained the necessary insight to guide his own rebirth to a more auspicious place. ¡°Master,¡± I said, as if I had suddenly grown wiser, answering my own initial question before we had crossed the mountains to find Tashi Def. ¡°I feel that life isn¡¯t something to cheer for.¡± Master regarded me with an expression of quiet awe. ¡°I¡¯ve often said that death does not truly bring sorrow, just as life does not truly bring joy.¡± The words struck me. No sorrow in death? No joy in life? And, I supposed, no joy in birth either. I tilted my chin, blinking at the thought. ¡°Then, Master, why did my mother, grandmother, and siblings mourn for forty-nine days? Why did they sit on the floor against the mud walls of our stone kitchen, surrounded by huge cooking utensils and smoky fireplaces?¡± Without waiting for his answer, I declared, ¡°Oh, I know, Master. It¡¯s because they never heard you teach this.¡± Master nodded. ¡°Yes, my dear novice. You are becoming wiser. But the question you should ask is: how can we understand the meaning of death and life?¡± At first, the words seemed like a well-worn clich¨¦, but coming from Master, they resonated deeply. ¡°So, Master,¡± I ventured, ¡°is it true that there¡¯s no meaning in life or death?¡± Master¡¯s lips curved into a slight smile. ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®life and death.¡¯ It¡¯s ¡®death and life.¡¯¡± Not life and death, but death and life? It seems so trivial. Does it matter?...... I should have been confused, but instead, I felt it might be a question for another time. I hurried to keep up with Master, who continued walking briskly as if there were important matters awaiting him at his Practice House, up in the mountains. It was so isolated that few could visit, and gaining admission to sessions and paying homage was difficult. The admissions came with stringent requirements, and peers had confided that these were tests to determine whether pupils were truly sincere in their search for practice and respectful of both the esoteric philosophy and their masters. I paused for a moment, trying to catch the sound I thought I had heard. "Master, did you hear anything?" He nodded and smiled, as if he knew exactly what it was. Soon, from around the corner of the hills, laughter echoed, growing louder as a procession appeared. Master paused, his smile broadening. A bride, radiant with joy, rode a donkey toward her bridegroom¡¯s abode. Perhaps this marked the start of a new life, possibly one involving children¡ªthough the extent of this new beginning would depend on the enforcement of the local one-child policy and the whims of corrupt officials. The bridegroom stood waiting, his elderly father leaning on a walking stick beside him, flanked by drunken best men. The scene felt fluid, like a shifting play reflecting the nature of life itself. Master¡¯s smile deepened, though I wondered: was it for the procession, the marriage, or something more? I was only in the third grade¡ªor at least, I should have been. Instead, I stood with Master in a snowy field so white it resembled a paddock beneath a dome of midday blue. . . The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def – Chapter 1.5 The First Tale of the Dying Soul of Tashi Def ¨C Chapter 1.5 Master had many tales¡ªfar more than just one. And Tashi Def? He lay gasping for breath, surrounded by his loved ones. Funny how appropriate it felt to ask about tales, given the journey I was on. Why did my father have to die so young? I was only an infant. Master once said, ¡°Coffins are not just for the old. They¡¯re for the young too. You must understand this.¡± Still, I wanted answers. Maybe someday, when I was older, I¡¯d have the capacity to understand better. For now, I accepted that. He broke my thoughts. ¡°My dear novice, to truly understand, we must grasp the consciousness that transcends death and life¡ªthat conquers and surpasses them. Do you understand?¡± I nodded. ¡°Only when we reach this understanding can we begin to see meaning in life.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll talk about the ¡®why¡¯ and ¡®how¡¯ later, Master?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he smiled widely to my delights. ¡°But you¡¯ve already witnessed enough to sense the answers.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°To elaborate, before this practice, life is merely a meaningless accumulation.¡± I tried to repeat what I¡¯d learned, ¡°Master, we know nothing when we¡¯re born. But now, I¡¯m starting to understand what life really is.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He smiled, perhaps seeing through the people who would need time to comprehend. ¡°Master, as you know, I cried when I felt lonely, and you told me that everyone cries when their mother gives birth to them¡ªwhile the world rejoices. "......And when you die, they cry and mourn.¡ªI remember you emphasized that¡ª "......my dear novice, remember this: when that moment arrives, your consciousness¡ªyes, your mind, your soul¡ªwill be filled not with sorrow, but with joy as you exhale your last grand breath. " So you understand, life is nothing but a cycle of birth upon birth, and death upon death." As we walked home, it felt as though we were treading on a map of the vast snow-covered field. I¡° remember how Master used to draw maps to teach us. So, life, as he said, is nothing but a cycle of birth upon birth, and death upon death¡ªyou¡¯d think I¡¯d understand by now. It was a polite, but amusing thought.¡± I told Drakos. Now, the horizon shimmered with untold mysteries, as if spring was bringing with it a poem, a poem appearing on my mind¡¯s eye¡ª"an unfathomed sea hangs fire.¡± ¡°Remember the third element?¡± It¡¯s time for Drakos to ask me. Fire, perhaps the most vivid, symbolizing the rage of our hearts and souls. Rage always burns the fiercest. For my own sake, allow me to recap. The four elements are Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Now, earth symbolizing solid flesh and bones, water symbolizing their fluids, fire symbolizing their warmth and breath, and wind symbolizing their movement of our body, mind and soul. I stressed on the Fire because I have temper issue, not to the extent of raging. Well, fire is perhaps the most vivid, symbolizing the rage of our hearts and souls. Rage always burns the fiercest. And, among the four elements, I would claim "Snow" as my own. Master would likely laugh at my mischief and give me a playful slap on the wrist¡ªor more likely, on my bold little head. I¡¯d probably swat it away, letting the loose sleeve of my novice robe cling to me in the cold. Yes, I and my beloved master were walking home on such unfathomed map. There''s a sense everywhere of dry ice fading, grey paddock fading and seeding. The map''s as thin as Tashi Def''s sparse blond hair, where, as if, husbands and wives went to starting to work on their means and ends. Yes, beneath the blues. But then, out of the blue, a sharp, shrill shriek pierced the air, breaking my contemplation. It was completely uncalled for.