The Illusory Path — Alexander Kinev

Introduction

Once, I learned that a bodhisattva is a person, a disciple of the Buddha, who has attained the highest level of enlightenment—almost as high as the Teacher himself. I read that one such man, or so they say, came from India to southern China and brought the Chinese the knowledge of the Middle Way. He was supposedly the one who started what is called Chan Buddhism, which later made its way to Japan and became Zen Buddhism. And, of course, everybody knows everything about Zen.

It seems to me that the path to enlightenment must have taken up a considerable part of the bodhisattva’s life. So he must have been rather elderly, if not downright old, when he traveled to China. Which means, in turn, that he could not have walked very fast. He must have stopped to rest and recover his strength. He must have met all kinds of strangers and heard all kinds of stories, seen and learned many interesting things. Wouldn’t you think?

That is what I intend to tell those who may be interested. Here are the entirely true stories the bodhisattva heard on his journey from west to east.

1. The Bodhisattva and the Old Man

So, the bodhisattva was traveling to the east. He walked, making his way through dense forests teeming with wild predators, across rushing mountain rivers, and through valleys strewn with enormous boulders. One day, in the heat, he crossed a rocky plateau and came upon an old man sitting in the shade of a tree. The bodhisattva approached and greeted him. The old man greeted him in return and invited to sit in the shade and rest. The bodhisattva sat opposite the old man, and they began to talk. And they talked about all sorts of things, effortlessly understanding each other. Whatever subject would come up, they immediately found common ground. You know how it is when you talk to your best friend: he understands you at once, and you understand him just as well.

At one point the old man said to the bodhisattva, “How about I tell you how the human soul is put together?” The bodhisattva said with a keen interest: “Of course, tell me. I would like to hear that.” And the old man began to explain how the human soul is made, how it works, how it feels. Why sometimes a soul longs to soar up and wide as though on widespread wings, while at other times it hides like a small mouse somewhere deep inside, pining in loneliness and fear. And so perfectly he explained everything that the bodhisattva was spellbound. “The old man really knows all about it,” he thought. “And is laying it all out so well - just like a bodhisattva!”

“But I am the bodhisattva,” he thought – and felt instantly ashamed.