The Musafir
The Third Book of the Lotus
“And if I had not lied to you, you would have had a bad opinion of the puyer. Bad suppositions often do not bear sweet fruit.”
MANTAN NODDED small even with a feeling of force. He knew what the Angel of the North River said. A bad assumption will bear bad fruit, and a good assumption will bear good fruit. So whatever has happened and will happen, one must have a good assumption. But the goods certainly not with the puyer!
In the end, Mantingan could only swallow all the bitterness of the puyer. However, getting a sweetness that he did not feel directly. The Little Angel of the North River then said that the treatment was finished for today.
“Don't forget to come tomorrow,” he added. “Although that's actually nothing to remember. Didn't we start living in one house? I can easily remind you tomorrow.”
Mantian nodded. “That's one of the many advantages we get.”
The North River Angel nodded, saying, “I wish my room was next to yours. So that I can monitor you almost at any time.”
“Not a problem. There are still three rooms left upstairs.”
Mantingan helped the North River Angel to move the items he needed to the second floor. He did it very quickly, flashed like a swordsman in general. Thus, Kana and Kina who were still sitting behind the table of the main room were not aware of his presence.
The North River Angel only needed to walk leisurely towards his room, without the need to carry any items. Even he still had time to greet Kana and Kina before climbing the stairs leading up.
After the girl reached her new room, Mantingan left her alone. It is not good for young people to be in one room for unimportant business. The mantan returned to his room and sat down, reading the Book of the Lotus.
***
NOW HE has reached the third part of the five sections of the Book of the Lotus. Unlike the first and second parts, the third part was enough to make him dizzy. Even from the title alone it is difficult to decipher for sure.
“Curing Self Blindness” is the title of the third part of the Lotus Book. And after Mantingan checked the fourth part, it has almost the same name, which is “Curing Human Blindness”.
Broadly speaking, Mantingan knows that before healing another human being, he must heal himself. But about blindness, is the Book of the Lotus a book of medicine? Initially Mantingan thought the blindness in question was true blindness. However, after studying the section Curing Self Blindness, Mantingan did not find any way or prescription drugs to cure any disease.
...A blind man can lead another blind man...
...which only bears the fruit of lostness...
...As if you were walking...
...in a blind state, in the darkness of the night...
...which is not even a star...
...your eyes must be open...
...Only light leads you two paths...
How to cure blind disease? In the first verse, there is no way to cure the blind. In the final sentence, the verse only explains to open your eyes.
There Mantingan thought, The blind man is not one who cannot open his eyelids. A blind person can open his eyelids, but his damaged eyes will not be able to see anything.
Long thought, Mantingan began to find the answer.
***
What is meant by blind is not blind in the true sense. It is not an eye disease. The blindness referred to in the verse is inner blindness.
The mind is like the third eye for man. The inner eye is invisible, so it can only see what is invisible.
The road he saw was not the road to Sundapura, nor the road to Tanjung Kalapa, but the road of life. The light he saw was not solar light, nor moonlight or stars, the light he saw was science. Because like the eyes on the head, the inner eye also needs light to be able to see everything and the road to achieve something.
Not everyone can be aware of the presence of the inner eye, which is what makes him feel quite proud.
However, Mantingan will not be able to cure the blindness of others if he himself has not been cured of the blindness. In the initial sentence, the verse he read says that the blind can lead other blind people, but the result is only lostness.
So before Mantingan teaches the science to others, first Mantingan must ensure that he has really understood the science. If not, he will only mislead others.
The third part of the Lotus Book was the Mantingan studied slowly. His understanding increased slowly and slightly. Even so, the understanding he gained was extremely valuable.
As one of the verses he learned:
...And among the abundance of men...
...they are blind and they do not understand...
...All forms in heaven and all forms on earth...
...along with the sign...
...as a result they become dreamy human beings...
What is meant by dreaming is not sitting pensively without doing anything but his mind floated somewhere. Dreaming is imagining the truth. Those who dream of creating something they think is right. It is the blind men who are likened to leading another blind man, who will bear only error even though he thinks he is right.
Then Mantingan also get an understanding in the next verse:
...Blind and deaf people cannot see the mark...
...they thought that there was no disaster...
...*until there comes a human child who receives forgiveness...
...the redeem...
...for their sins*...
...who read them signs...
The mantang nodded his head. A human child mentioned in the verse was once mentioned by Kiai Guru Kedai. But who is he? It was still unknown, until the time came.
***
AFTER DAYS passed, Mantingan's understanding of the inner eye increased rapidly. Unimaginable knowledge accumulated in his head. The young man had understood the way the fortune-tellers read the sign. He also understands how the rain handler knows when it will rain. They read the implied signs of nature, the unspoken languages of nature, and then they apply them to human life.
As a swordsman, Mantingan certainly not interested in turning into a rain handler or fortune teller. Although the young man might be able to do it. Because he is a warrior who treads the path of martial arts with all the bloody fight in it, then Mantingan apply the science of reading the sign into martial arts.
He remembered his teacher, Kiai Guru Kedai, who could read his mind. Now that he knew, his teacher did not have the power of efficacy, but he was able to read the omens.
Actually Mantingan had asked Kiai Guru Kedai about how he could read the contents of his mind, but the teacher just laughed and replied, “You are still young.”
_____
note:
Is anyone interested in the T-shirt of the Musafir if I sell it?
