The year was 2030, and humanity found itself in a period of extreme crisis. In only one decade, two great pandemics; a catastrophic environmental crisis; a devastating world war and a global famine had fallen upon the inhabitants of Earth.
In response to the ensuing chaos, five great masters gathered high upon a mountaintop to address humanity’s plight. The five masters were The Buddha, Lord Jesus, Sri Krishna, Lao Tzu and Mother Earth.
Buddha, the enlightened One
With a look of wise equanimity, the enlightened One, The Buddha, was the first to speak:
“My dear friends and fellow seekers, the great wave of suffering that has befallen humankind is the result of obsessive clinging to the passing worldly pursuits of material wealth, status and fame. The Dharma has long been forgotten, and I’m afraid that the wheel of Karma must turn until all delusions of mind are burned away. Meditation is the solution to the problems facing humanity. For meditation is the key to illumined self-awareness and the enlightenment of our species.”
The Buddha continued:
“Like the beautiful lotus flower, we must all blossom into the fruits of our own awakening through loving-kindness. Due to our delusions, we’ve forgotten how to love. And without love, how shall there ever be peace?”
The Buddha bowed to his sage companions and returned to his cross-legged position on the ground, within the circle.
Jesus, prince of compassion
Jesus, the prince of compassion, rose to speak.
“I couldn’t agree more with Gautama. Humanity currently suffers from a total lack of love. My brethren have forgotten that they’ve been commanded by their Divine Father to be their Brother’s keeper. However, humanity’s dilemma also stems from something else altogether: a lack of faith.
“On more than one occasion, you’ve heard me say ‘that faith can move mountains.’ Without a genuine expression of faith, the forces of evil ingrain themselves in the nest of the human heart and in the fabric of society. This evil can only be overcome through an uncompromising faith in our heavenly father.
“Tell me, if the world’s hypocrite leaders can’t find that faith within themselves, why do we still follow them and their paths of destruction? Why, if only my children found that everlasting faith within themselves, then they’d also come to recognize that the kingdom of God lives within them as well.”
Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism
Lao Tzu, who had been listening intently to both the Buddha and Jesus, now took his turn to speak in the circle:
“The absence of love has led to humankind’s loss of faith in themselves and in the Cosmos’ unfolding wonder. But the loss of such faith, born of that flowing eternal life-force energy that I’ve long called the Tao, has also led to the loss of balance.
“Everything in existence is an exquisite interplay between countervailing forces. One can’t know joy without having experienced suffering. And doesn’t darkness give way to light? Can the lover of summer really fully appreciate the warmth of that season, without first enduring the bitter cold of winter? Is humanity now not plagued by the scourge of its own dualistic perceptions?
“The world’s great nations and religions are always seeking to extinguish evil, but have they ever taken the time to sit in silent reflection and understand the essence of either good or evil, first, before setting off on their crusades of plunder?”
Lao Tzu finished speaking and sat cross-legged next to the Buddha and Jesus, to make way for Sri Krishna.
Sri Krishna, Lord of devotion
The Lord of devotion then began to speak:
“Many years ago, I counselled my beloved friend and devotee, Arjuna, on the eve of battle between warring members of the same clan. Among the most important themes we discussed were love, faith and balance. But as you all surely know, a being without those three qualities lacks an overall sense of clarity, because they’re ruled by their own ego.
“Can we not say that humanity, today, is under the hellish grip of its ego? Look at the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations. Are its rulers not self-absorbed megalomaniacs? Don’t all of humankind’s problems derive from what amounts to a great forgetting… that all things in Brahman are one?
“Back on that fateful day upon the battlefield, I explained to Arjuna that all sincere spiritual seekers must first conquer their own egos through the spirit of selfless service, which can only come through devoting the fruits of one’s actions to God.”
Mother Earth, the Divine Goddess
Krishna slowly sat down and took his place again in the circle, as Mother Earth, the Divine Goddess, gently wrapped her great tree limbs around the four sages and began to recite a prayer:
“May all my children see the immaculate seeds of creation. May they see the divinity in my enchanting waterfalls flowing with love and spirit. May they hear the wisdom of the ages through the chanting songbirds in my lush green forests. May they smell the intoxicating beauty in my blooming flowers of spring. May they feel the healing power of the Earth by holding my sacred soil in their hands. And may they taste the nourishment of my omnipresent soul by consuming the very vegetables that grow in that soil.
“May my children go about their lives with a renewed sense of purpose and reverence for the seamless flow of existence. Finally, may my children acknowledge the invaluable wisdom of their native ancestors, who’ve always known the correct way to live in harmony with me.”
Mother Earth than showered the four sages, the mountaintop and the fertile valleys below with vibrantly coloured flower petals. She turned to the sages and said, “Let us give the world vision!”
The world’s greatest miracle
At that exact moment, the five divine beings centred their collective energy, and the world witnessed the greatest miracle since the inception of all creation. In all the corners of the world, wars abruptly came to an end; an abundance of food fell from the sky in poverty-stricken regions; all the globe’s sick were suddenly healed and the great rivers and lakes that had become too polluted to drink were as clean and sparkling-clear as they were on the earliest days of Earth.
As the world healed, its entire population was astounded by what they saw when they looked up to the sky. As a solar-eclipse-like darkness descended on the whole world, the sky suddenly turned a cosmic turquoise colour, as all the great saints in every faith and tradition took form in the mysterious heavens above. All around the globe, men and women reported seeing saints as varied as Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Mohammad, Saint Francis, Black Elk, Mother Mary, the 12 disciples, Shiva, Ganesh, Rama and Sita, Padma Sambhava, Confucius and many others.
In that moment of awesome wonder, the world found love, faith, balance and true spirit again. After millennia of suffering, humanity had at last achieved world peace.
The new age of enlightenment had begun….
«RELATED READ» A CONVERSATION WITH THE GREAT TAO: Awakening the spirit»
