Peter
"Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men,
-The Buddha, Dhammapada, 103
“Do you believe in
spirits?” Peter's karate instructor, Sensei Rob asked.
Peter felt a
shiver up his spine.
“Like ghosts and
stuff?” he asked.
Sensei Rob nodded.
“Almost every world religion has some belief in spirits, either good or bad,
who interfere with our lives. Even in Buddhism, there’s Mara – for all intents
and purposes, the devil – and his minions, called the asuras. They tempt humans
to make choices that distract them from the way of enlightenment.”
“Do you really
believe that?” Peter asked.
“Judge later,” Rob
reminded him. “Listen now.” Then he took a breath. “When I was younger, I took
a year to study in India. While I was there, I met this guy. A Tibetan shaman
or guru – like a spiritual expert. I witnessed him perform a ritual and save
someone’s life. Afterwards, he told me that the spirits don’t just tempt
people. Sometimes they take over their bodies.”
A fresh wave of
goosebumps prickled Peter’s skin and he sincerely wished Sensei Charlie were
still there.
“Are you talking
like,” he gulped, “demonic possession?”
I don’t believe in all this paranormal crud, Peter reminded
himself. Why am I getting freaked out
here?
Rob nodded. “The
guru – Yeshe was his name – said he could cast the asuras, the dark spirits,
out of people and exorcise them.”
“And you,” Peter
paused, “believed him?”
Sensei took in a
frustrated breath. “Just listen a moment, would ya? I wouldn’t have believed
the guy, if I hadn’t seen it for myself. When a dark spirit takes over a
person, you can tell. I mean, weird stuff happens, but it’s more than just
that. You know it’s wrong. It reverberates within you, freezes you to the core.
You can’t really say what it is, you just sense the darkness. I saw Yeshe expel
the spirit from the person and then the man went back to normal like it had
never happened.”
“So what are
you…?”
Sensei Rob held up
a hand to stop him. “Asuras are spirits who bear ill will toward humans. They
want to cause us pain. Yeshe said he had made a pact with a deva – a spirit of
positivity and kindness. This deva would act in him and through him to help expel
the bad spirits. It was really a lot to take in, as I’m sure it is for you
right now. But then, the strangest thing happened.”
“Stranger than
everything else?” Peter asked dryly.
Sensei Rob
narrowed his eyes.
Right, Peter thought. I’m supposed to listen.
“Yeshe told me
that I had been chosen to be his successor.”
Peter didn’t know
why, but he felt another chill up his spine.
“He said there was
a deva waiting to make contact with me,” Rob continued. “If I accepted the
mission, I’d be able to save people from the asuras, too. So I let him train me
to be an exorcist. And that was about fifteen years ago.”
“So are you
saying—”
“Shh,” Sensei Rob
said sharply. “Then when I returned to the States and settled in this town, I
became the exorcist here. The devas position at least one of us in designated
areas. So when someone’s possessed by an evil spirit and they’re ready to be
free, I rush out to help them. Sometimes it’s an easy fight and sometimes I get
injured.” He pointed to the bandage on his shoulder. “It’s not an easy job, but
I know I’m helping people and that makes it rewarding.”
Sensei Rob paused
and Peter tried to remain calm.
Truthfully, the
second half of Sensei’s rambling had gone right over his head because all he
could think was:
Is this a joke? A prank?
But the
seriousness in Sensei’s tone – in the air inside the dojo – prompted Peter to
consider the very real probability that Sensei Rob was a lunatic.
Spirits? Possession? Exorcisms? This is ridiculous.
“So there you have
it,” Sensei Rob said. “That’s why I have to leave suddenly every now and then.”
Rob didn’t talk
after that, but he looked at Peter expectantly.
“Oh. Am I allowed to talk now?” Peter asked.
Rob chuckled.
“Yes, you’re allowed, punk.”
“Okay,” Peter
bluffed a calm attitude. “Assuming this is the truth, why are you telling me?
Why trust me with your weird secret?”
Rob smiled,
showing all his dimples. “Because you’re next.”
Excerpt #6: Fruits of the Asuras
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