The Dharma Force

Interesting Dream

Have you ever had vivid dreams? Dreams that are so real that when you wake up, you are not sure it was a dream?

One of the ancient Chinese sage had a dream that he was a giant butterfly. The dream was so real that he told his teacher about it. His teacher said simply that was memory left over from his previous life. He was that butterfly in his previous life.

I had a dream that I was a dungbeetle, so I totally disagree with that theory. ... Totally!

My wife had a dream about her grandmother, who passed away a few years back. She said her grandmother looked fine, and she touched my wife on her shoulder. When my wife woke up, she could still feel her shoulder cold.

Sometimes, I could control my dreams. It was a weird feeling. In the moments that I could see the logic flaw of the scenes passing in front of me, I knew I was in a dream. Then I could control what happens next. For all of you love your dreams, I will recommend you to try it sometimes, it was like directing a movie, or more of a "Star Trek" Holodeck kind of a feel. You are the writer, director, and actor in the movie, and it is a masterpiece!

Well, it is to me anyway.

I had such an experience a few nights back. It was a fantasy movie, with magicians and magical items.

It has that "EarthSea" saga kind of feeling. The story goes like this:

A magician apprentice arrived in a town that was the home of five great magicians.

It was a festival to celebrate the achivements of the five magicians. In the middle of the market place were five long tables draped with white cloth. Each one was displaying some magical items. These are the greatest inventions of the five magicians. Each had magical powers that was beyond common man's comprehension.

The apprentice looked at the items. They looked anything but magical. Five metal dishes of various sizes arranged in a particular order. One copper frog. All too ordinary.

And the crowds weren't particularly paying attention to them. After all, how seriously can you ever look at a copper frog. The attention was paid to the market surrounding the area. There are so many people that the apprentice had the weird feeling that if one of them ever tipped over the table, all of these precious items will be lost among people's feet.

And there are no guards, no safeguards around the tables. Anyone could have picked one up, or even steal them. But, it seemed that nobody cared.

During his stay in the town, the apprentice made a huge discovery. He had always thought he was an orphan. But then he found that both his father and his mother were alive. They were the students of one of the great magicians in town. They were wanted by a powerful force, so their teacher concealed them with his power. He transformed them to look like other people. It was one of his crowning achievement. The magic was so powerful and binding that unless his parents reveal their own identity, nobody will know. Hence lie the drama. If they reveal themselves, the magic is broken and their lives will be in danger immdiately. But for the apprentice, it is such a burden, such a longing to know who are his parents, to touch them, to see them, to feel them.

He wandered to the lecture hall. One of that teacher's student was showing the copper frog. The ordinary looking, the ugly looking copper frog was the key, the focal point, the knot of the transformation magic.

And yet, even though everyone knows about it, even though it was displayed for all to see, even for all to touch, or for anyone to steal, it contained all the magic within.

Nobody can break it, nobody can see through it, nobody can reverse the logic. It was just an ugly looking copper frog.

The apprentice stood by the table, looked at it, watched the instructor picked it up, waved it around , passed it out, and returned it, and even invited all the students to use their power trying to channel with it.

All were amazed at the little ordinary looking object. The instructor even assured them that it was the real thing, but only the great magician can make it work and it will only obey his command.

Then the apprentice thought that if it can distinguish its master from all the others, and since it was such a great achievement, maybe, it has some intelligence within.

So, he started to try to communicate with it. Instead of using his power, he used his heart.

A small riot happened outside the lecture hall, it interrupt the lecture. The instructor ran outside to investigate. As he went out, his feet tripped on the table, and the little frog tipped over.

At its bottom, a crystal was showing. The apprentice looked at the crystal, and suddenly, a projection appreared from the crystal. It was the image of a man, a short sturdy bald man. The apprentice knew the man to be his family tutor. His teacher into the world of magic, his Dad's best friend.

Suddenly, it all made sense to him. That is his Dad, his real Dad. All along, his Dad and his Mom, the tutor's wife is with him.

They never abandoned him. They were with him, watching over him, all this time.

He was overwhelmed with joy, and he ran out to find his tutor. He found him in the street, talking to his twin brother.

He ran to him, but stopped himself. Even though, he wanted to call him, even though he wanted to see his true form, he cannot. He cannot call him. He cannot name him, otherwise, the magic will be broken. So he just went to him, and gave him a good tearful hug.

The tutor was surprised but happy, but his twin brother was tearful. Of course the twist is that he hugged the real tutor instead of his Dad. But that did not matter.

Well, what do you think? Nice dream huh?