Chapter One: Into the World

Deep in the heart of another world, another realm, the Great One had been contemplating his journey to earth. Much time had passed since Shakyamuni Buddha, his teacher and predecessor, had last walked the earth, and many things had changed there. The development and growth of technology had been miraculous. Yet what were the people of earth doing with it - where was it going? He consulted with the beings of his current realm and they agreed - earth needed his help desperately. But they, with their existences so intimately linked to the teachings and leadership of the Great One, felt the pangs of parting and tried to convince him to stay on, to continue guiding them to the blissful state he had attained. Their motivations were, alas, selfish, and had no impact on the Great One. He knew the time was at hand. Seeking a quiet grove, he sat beneath an old fig tree, and quietly, painlessly, died to his realm.

Freed from his physical body, he surveyed the spiritual and physical landscape of earth, considering where to manifest to best benefit the beings there. Where would he have the greatest chance to spread the teachings, to demonstrate his methods and lead the beings of earth to a peaceful and happy condition? Where would the people be receptive, and what would be the most promising location for the epicenter of a spiritual revolution? His choice would perhaps come as a surprise to some, but the key elements were technical competence and a flexible government, as well as the existence of freedom of expression and religion. Another factor was the ability of the people and nation to effectively influence the rest of the planet. The choice crystallized for him as he witnessed the latest actions of the great nation of the United States. Here was a land with all the right tools, and all the wrong leadership. They had the ingredients necessary to really lead the world to progressive change, yet their government and culture was in the grip of the materialists, and the materialists had no spiritual direction. Corporations had usurped the will of the people and led them away from the values of the Dharma.

The Dharma - the path of the teachings the Buddha laid down two and a half millennia ago - was still alive. It was nurtured and protected, preserved and propagated by scores of Buddhist sects, particularly the Tibetan Buddhists. What a shame their country had been taken from them - and yet, what a blessing. The prophesy which the manifestation as Padmasambhava had proclaimed, that the Tibetans would be scattered to the four corners of the earth, had finally coalesced. China, by persecuting the Tibetans and forcing their leader into exile, had cleared the path and prepared the way for him. In several countries of the world the Tibetan Buddhists had a firm and respected presence, and they had started to build a following based on the truth of the teachings. While some questioned why the Tibetan people had to undergo such hardship, the wisest among them understood the mechanism of it, the mechanism of change, and the pain and upheaval required to change the world. They considered their oppressors the instrument of their education, their greatest teachers. Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings had indeed taken root and the belief in karma and reincarnation was unshakable with the Tibetans, ingrained in their way of life. In America, the Tibetan Buddhists were generating newfound interest and enthusiasm, as if filling a cultural void. In America, the "land of the red-faced people", Buddhism was indeed taking root and flourishing.

He chose the time of his rebirth, and the place where he could be born and raised, reach maturity, and prosper without attracting too much attention. Choosing a rebirth was a precarious task at best, and he made his decision carefully. Just the right balance of awareness, and prosperity, location and local cultural aspects were required. His new parents must be contemporary Americans, open minded, exposed to the Dharma, yet not so involved in the Buddhist hierarchy as to attract too much attention to him too early on. Even for a Buddha, the first few years of mortal existence would be critical and a bit uncertain. He must chose carefully or he would have to repeat the cycle, and the timing might not be correct as it was now. He needed this inflection point in time, the right combination of events and circumstances to provide a situation receptive to his aims. It would be years after his rebirth before his new manifestation would gain even partial awareness of its past and its destiny. And he would be vulnerable during those critical years.

For the place, he chose New York State. The people there held a wide variety of views, and came from diverse backgrounds. Not too conservative, not too flighty.

From the time and space he now was in, he allowed his consciousness to reach out to earth, to New York. He felt the energy of the many various beings living there, slowly their karmic imprints washed over him and mingled with his awareness. From a subtle corner of his mind, he felt the tug, the barely perceptible feeling of a proper match, a subtle resonance. He felt the presence of a couple involved in the Dharma, but not immersed in it, and he felt their deep desire for a child. These people were good people, not perfect, but their aspirations were true, and they felt secure. This couple, Helen and Steven, lived in a modest home in Woodstock, New York, about one hundred miles from Manhattan.

He gathered his energy, collected his mind within, and focused on his purpose, his destiny on earth. Then, with a burst of energy he was off, traveling through the formless realms towards his new home.

He traversed the hell realms to strengthen his resolve and remind himself why he was, after attaining supreme and perfect enlightenment, leaving his current realm to return to earth. Surely the people of earth deserved his compassion, to spare them from the fate of hell, as many as possible. Surely they desired the chance to avoid this nearly eternal torment. He called out to the beings suffering in the hell realms as he passed, reassuring them that it would not last forever. They must cultivate the pure feeling of remorse and the sincere wish for another chance, in at least the animal realm as a start, a chance to begin to clear their karmic debts. They must not lose hope, he told them as he passed.