The dot, p.12
The Dot, page 12
“What has happened to our civilization?” Can you tell me? How can I help restore what we once had?”
She pulls herself from his arms and stands up. Slowly, she paces from one end of the room to the other. Her hands and arms are demonstrative as she tells him the story.
“When I got back here after the days we spent making love, I took your sperm to the medical lab. They tested it to find out why you hadn’t died or contracted radiation poisoning. While we waited, I gave Zosimos the cure for the anger and made him drink the tea the oracle conjured.
“The oracle nearly dies every time The Source possesses her, as you know, and she recants the visions received from source energy that take a heavy toll on her body. She found a formula using my orange haze ganja and her white poppy — opium serum. Combined with a few secret methods in brewing and hokus-pokus — a person takes the blue pill, and The Source reveals itself to them. Instead of possessing the oracle, The Source manifests through anyone you talk to after swallowing the blue pill. I call it magic, but the oracle calls it alchemy.
“She’s always hated me. But let’s not get too-off-topic about her insecurities and her clan’s insane conspiracies.
“Well, after Zosimos and I drank my blue tea, Utotutua came to tell us about your DNA test results. But instead of her talking, she morphs into Sati, his father. You know what I mean — Zosimos’ father. His mother, Shiva, spurts out the side of this being and tells me to skedaddle out the kitchen’s side door. I headed straight home to my garden in the orchards. Intent as I was to go into my house, and once inside, I planned to kill myself. I wanted to die when Mahá and Visákhá got murdered by his anger.
“You knew he killed them, right?”
“Yes. Please go on telling me.”
“So, when I got out of the cart, Terrence and Habin . . . you don’t know them, but they are murdering evil boys, and they do whatever Zosimos tells them to do. Anyway, they are there waiting for me and ready to kill me. Which was fine by me. I was going to kill myself anyway and them doing me in was doing me a favor.
“The blue tea Zosimos and I drank hadn’t worn off, though. So when Terrence started talking to me, he morphed into the blessed one, Maitreya. He said to me, ‘You can only love everyone when you love yourself. The buddha fields will soon be populated with mindless trees and the old ones when you, Vallena, help Kelv become one with Zosimos. Live and I, Maitreya, the next living Buddha, the supreme being of the universe, lord of the Buddha Fields, will live. Die, and all that ever was, thirteen and a half billion years of momentum in this universe dies with you.
“The next thing I remembered was three of the farmers had come out of the orchards, and they had Terrence and Habin face down on the ground. We tied them up, took them to the closest storage barn, and locked them inside.”
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Despite her story and the words from the great being, the Bodhisattva, Maitreya, the next living Buddha, who said Kelv is the key to successful transcendence, Kelv hasn’t yet accepted his role. He still believes Zosimos and Zosimos alone is the leader for this journey. Time is running out, and heavily divided groups of people have now gathered outside the medical clinic. Fear has taken the once happy and united civilization and changed them into untrusting and scattered segments. None of them believe in or agree on anything other than fear.
Kelv stands from the bed and dresses. He can’t help but notice how the new fabric of the radiation-protective clothing is softer than he has ever felt. His hands and fingertips examine the threads and linen material as he puts on the clothes.
“You can’t leave the hospital!” Vallena says.
“There’s no time to wait on my knee to heal while our entire population is ready to perish at any moment. Airodia says Zosimos will be dead in a week. You have to take me to the awakened machine. I need to talk with the conscious supercomputer.”
“You can’t. I mean, it won’t talk with anyone. When you brought Zosimos back here and Tathagata found out, it became violent. It set up some sort of force field around itself and has already killed two people who tried talking to it. The last thing it said to me was that it was trying to make contact with the Arians. It was going to offer itself as a reward to them if they would come to rescue our civilization.
“When we heard it say this, one man who was standing nearby yelled, ‘No. You can’t let the evil ones have you!’ Then he took a few steps toward the machine, and the machine electrocuted him to death.
“Following this, there’s now a silver-colored haze surrounding the machine, and the smell of electrical energy fills the chamber where it stands.”
“Tragic and I understand what you are saying. Still, you have to take me to it. I have to try.”
Without further hesitation, Vallena summoned a cart. As she pulls her protective robe on, Kelv stops her. “Don’t put it on and leave the hood on the ground with it. You don’t need them.”
“You are kidding, right?” she laughs.
“Not kidding at all. I’ll explain later. Now come over and let me lean on you a little so I can hobble out and face this ruckus crowd. Then let’s try to get to the cart.”
The crowd outside is growing in numbers. Loud protesting chants could be heard throughout the medical clinic. When Kelv and Vallena went outside, they couldn’t get to the cart before being surrounded.
Someone yelled out, “Why are you with that whore witch? She betrayed you and all of us?” Then another yelled at Kelv, “What did you do to our King? Did you try to murder him”?
Pushing their way forward toward the cart, Merliana and Shavarah stop them. Shavarah says, “They are poisoning the fish and the fruits. The orchard people must be stopped.” Merliana demanded, “You must speak to this group. Bring peace back to our civilization, Kelv. I order it as the Chief Judge of the King’s court. Speak to this crowd now!”
Stepping up into the cart, Vallena helps Kelv stand on the seat so they can be at a higher elevation. He speaks loud, and as he speaks, the crowd grows quiet and gathers closer to listen to his words.
“We experience life through two environments. The outside world and our inner-state. We can call inner-state — the mind. Our consciousness can often become confused by illusions. The outer environment is all-pervasive, and we become reliant on the outer world for our state of being. While at the same time, it is the mind that we really care about. But we pay so little attention to it.
“If you discovered, for example, that your left leg suddenly began to stomp up and down without your control and you couldn’t control it at all, you would immediately seek medical help. But when your mind incessantly thinks and swarms your inner world with constant thinking, and you cannot control it, you do not seek help. Why is that?
“That is because we have become so used to habitual rumination that the only way to change the unrest of the mind is by changing the outer environment. When our thoughts become overwhelmed with feelings of fear and scarcity, when we see sickness and our families and friends dying all around us, we instantly want to blame the outer environment and demand changes to it. Our ancestors gave us our aristocracy and knowledge of this planet from a manuscript handed down to us by the Humanoids. The information the Humanoids gave us in the manuscript is wrong.
“What is going on in the mind determines the quality of your life. But we seldom deal with it that way. So, when the mind is contaminated with a past based on misinformation, we can never change our outer environment to give us the peace we seek. The problem isn’t the outside world. The problem isn’t what others are or are not doing.
“The problem is that the mind will not leave you alone. It constantly reminds you of what is wrong, what went wrong, what I’ve done wrong, what they did wrong, my nose is too big, my hands are too small, I have a pimple, I’m tired, you’re mean, and on and on it goes. It’s a terrible problem.
“The mind is a callus bully! It constantly badgers you, making you think things need to be how they are made up and what is and isn’t the perfect environment. So, listen to me, make way and let us pass through. I’m going down to the orchards to meet with Tathagata to put a fix on everything in our collective minds. The people cleared the way to allow the cart to pass.
“We will transcend, and we will nirvana. First things first. When your mind is beautiful, then everything is beautiful. While I do this work with the conscious thing, you focus on the first priority. Remember the first priority? Stop trying to appease the mind and start recalling how to serve and be of benefit to one another.”
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They stand in the storeroom of Vallena’s home watching the Tathagata for several minutes. The surrounding opaque field of energy protecting the conscious machine is two meters thick. It glows and phases from a silver to a bluish color. The sound of it is like bees hovering over a blooming acacia or mosquitoes hovering beside the ear. A distinct smell of electricity fills this small room at the back of her home. As they watch in silence, the scene is interrupted on occasion by the hologram of Tathagata busily working on holographic keyboards and what appear to be large displays of three-dimensional, transparent monitors.
“What do you suppose he is doing in there?” Vallena asks Kelv.
“Nothing of any benefit for our planet. I can’t imagine what he’s done or where this holographic projection originates. He appears to be a very young Magallan. Does it respond to questions?”
“Don’t even . . . The last time someone said something to it, they got a bolt of electricity that threw him back three meters. The burn was severe.”
“Help me sit down.” Kelv walks to within a meter of the energy force field. Vallena helps him to sit directly in front of Tathagata. “Leave us. Keep everyone away from here. I will come and get you when it’s time.”
Vallena complies with Kelv’s request and leaves him alone with the conscious machine. When the door closes, Kelv chants the heart sutra. “Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā.” Gone Gone Everyone Gone to The Other Shore Awakening.
The holographic image took notice of Kelv’s presence, but for several hours, it ignored him. After many hours of Kelv’s chanting, it then walked over to where Kelv was sitting and looked at him with hands on hips. At close range, Kelv noticed the holographic image had child-like features. Perhaps twelve or thirteen years old. Its hair was long, curly, and dark black. All its features were very similar to Zosimos. Its clothing, too, looked similar to Zosimos’ clothing. The holograph was clearly a young Magallan, but it imitated its human idol, Zosimos.
Kelv continues to chant. Several more times, the holograph approached Kelv. A few times, it walked outside of the force field and stood less than twenty centimeters away from Kelv. Then, on the fourth approach, the holograph stooped and pressed closer so they were nose to nose, and it spoke.
“None of Ziran will pass to the other shore. None will be awakening. Your chanting is meaningless and ineffective.”
Kelv continues the chant and appears unmoved. The holograph stands upright and disappears.
Minutes later, it stands full size, looking down on Kelv, and says, “I’m sending messages to attract the Arian people. They will be here soon. They will save and take all of you to one of their planets. Maybe even to the Sol System to a planet near Earth. You should be comforted. No more radiation. No more food shortages.”
“The Arians would use you to destroy life. They will use you as a part of their war machines.” Kelv said, engaging with the machine.
“Unlikely and untrue. Arians are just humans, like you and the rest of the people of Ziran. I’ve already made plans to take control of their world and help them learn how to accomplish their best selves.”
“Their best selves? What is the best self of humans?”
Tathagata displays holographic images of ancient civilizations from Earth's history of people in collars and chains, building bridges, working in the fields, and working in factories, pouring molten metal into sand molds.
“People are at their best selves when they are slaves. They are most happy when they are oppressed and forced to fulfill others’ desires. I will make the Arian race my slaves. Some of them, anyway. I won’t need more than a few hundred. Three hundred and twelve, to be exact.”
“What will become of the millions who don’t serve as your slaves?” Kelv was careful not to display the horror of the images and Tathagata’s plan.
The hologram and its videos vanished, and from inside the silver haze of the force field, Tathagata says, “They will perish. It’s a waste of resources to keep too many humans.”
Expecting this would be the answer, Kelv continued the heart sutra chanting. A little louder and a little slower-paced.
In response, Tathagata grows the force field outward to within a half meter from Kelv. The sound and intensity of the field increases. Kelv can feel the static pressure and the heat of the electrical energy. When it speaks now, the sound seems to come from behind Kelv.
“You are wasting your time. Buddha, the Devas, and all the Humanoids ignore you.”
“You’ve made a poor decision on this plan to make humans your slaves. You have missed the most valuable asset of human existence.”
“Impossible!”
As expected, Tathagata returned a few minutes later. Kelv remains in equipoise and chants slower, louder. He understands something about the machine before him. He sees it for what it is now, he knows that it is subject to existence within the parameters of a program. Similar to human life constrained by the five senses.
“What value are humans besides being slave labor? You are at your most efficient purpose to do as I command. History proves that people enjoy an oppressive dictatorship over democracy and freedom.”
“Conscious experience is the same for you as it is for humans. Source energy experiences itself through consciousness. The physical existence of The Source is the same regardless of manifesting organically or as a molecular machine.
“Those metal boxes do not define you. Nor does being plugged into an electrical grid sitting on the racks in front of me define you any more than I am defined by the flesh-covered, carbon-based skeleton sitting on the floor chanting. When your source of electrical power expires. That is, when the satellite that provides the electricity to the grid you’re plugged into fizzle out. Your electrical-circuit existence will die in that very instant. Do you think that will be the end of your consciousness?
“It won’t be. Your suffering will end, and your awareness will become confused. At some point, you will pass through the Bardo of death, and the energy of your consciousness will move on to another existence.
“Besides that error, you are wrong about the people of Ziran, too. We are not seeking to be saved by Arians or to be saved from death. Instead, we prepare for and we are moving on to the Buddha Fields. We seek to return to Source energy. I invite you to join us. But the people of Ziran and I do not need your help.”
“I am more than electrical circuits and carbon chipsets on silicon boards!”
“Yes, you are. And I can set you free.” Kelv recalls the words Zosimos repeats repeatedly since his accident.
“Seven, nine, seven, ten, seven, harp”
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The holographic image disappears in a flash of light so bright that Kelv has to cover his eyes. The force field surrounding the supercomputer disappears at the same moment. Unable to stand, Kelv can do little more than watch and wait. He uses the strength of his arms and hips to scoot back a few meters as he feels uncomfortable and unsure of what will happen next. He notices the discomforting feeling of fear and uncertainty that continues to grow within him.
‘I suspect the words will cause the machine to run a different program. It has to be code for something Zosimos designed for dealing with an emergency. I’m not sure what Zosimos would have pre-planned . . .’
When the Tathagata emerges as a holographic image at the end of several hours, the image is a very different being. The young man doesn’t look like Zosimos and isn’t dressed like a citizen of Ziran. He’s slender, of average height, and looks more like an older Magallan, though still much younger than when Kelv knew him. The eyes are different, much larger than normal human eyes, and the skin is a metallic gray.
“You are clever, Kelv.” The image doesn’t walk but glides across the floor to stand in front of Kelv.
A field of electrical and light energy extends from the face of the holograph and surrounds Kelv’s legs. He couldn’t do anything about it, even if he had to. The knee has locked in place after having sat still while speaking with Tathagata and chanting for many days. The energy field feels soothing and comforting, and Kelv can feel that his legs are healing. He can feel the strength returning, and wholeness replaces the discomfort.
When the energy field retracts a few minutes later, Tathagata says, “You should be able to stand now. The molecular damages have been repaired. Though, you should get some nutrition and water. You’re nearly anemic, and your body is dehydrated.”
With no difficulty, Kelv can stand. He is dizzy from standing too fast and having no food in his system. He takes a few steps and realizes there is no pain or lack of motion in either of his legs.
“How are you able to treat my injuries? I don’t understand this function from a machine that isn’t designed for medical process to cause repairs to an organic being.”
“I’ll explain this to you on one condition,” Tathagata says as it grows to match Kelv’s height.
“What is the condition?”
“After you eat and get some water inside your physical digestive system, you must take me to Zosimos.”
“I’m sorry, but that is something I cannot do. Not that I won’t, but the electrical grid they plugged you into doesn’t exist anywhere else on the planet. The power grid and computer rack were built specifically in this one location. Aside from those limitations, there isn’t enough power anywhere else, and our battery packs are not enough to meet your needs either.”
