Every
once in a while in the course of timelessness, as the story goes, the universe
contracts down to a point that is smaller than the period at the end of this
sentence. As it nears the extreme extent of its contraction, sentient beings
for the most part are shipped off to a happy land of radiant joy in the upper
reaches of the possible places to land in such event. For a very long while,
they live and play there with the greatest of ease, unbothered by snakes and
fleas, with rays of pure light flashing from their mind-made bodies as they
feed on rapture, float through the air as if there was nothing to it, and
generally have a real good time. Every so often you can hear them shouting out
in joy, “Hey, alright!” That’s because they are feeling good, and are moved
spontaneously to make that understood! They may even start to imagine, given
the extended happiness that they are experiencing, that this pleasurable
condition will just go on forever. After all, it certainly seems like heaven,
so why not?
Because
things are the way they are, however, and sooner or later, after the lapse of a
very long period as we might measure time, the cosmos begins to expand once
again. In the course of this re-evolution, a vacancy one level down from Joy
City opens up. As possible dwelling places go, it is really like a mansion with
many attractive features, great views, excellent curb appeal, and so forth. Then
a certain being, having reached his expiration code date, drops down from Happy
Land and proceeds to occupy the vacancy made available in the course of the
expanding universe. There he lives and plays with the greatest of ease,
unbothered by snakes and fleas, with rays of pure light flashing from his
mind-made body as he feeds on rapture, floats through the air as if there was
nothing to it, and generally has a real good time (although not quite as good
as the previous engagement). And he continues on in that enjoyment for a long,
long period of time.
After a while, however, as a result of
dwelling there all alone for so long a time, there arises in him dissatisfaction
and agitation, and so he says to himself: “Oh, I wish that other beings would
come to this place!” Sure enough, just at that moment, due to their number
coming up, certain other beings drop down from Joy City and find themselves
knocking on the door of the first guy’s mansion. He is happy to welcome them
in, and there they live and play with the greatest of ease, unbothered by
snakes and fleas, with rays of pure light flashing from their mind-made bodies
as they feed on rapture, float through the air as if there was nothing to it,
and generally have a real good time (although it is not quite as much fun as
the last place). And they continue on in that enjoyment for a long, long period
of time.
Eventually, the one who re-arose there first,
pauses in the midst of his fun and thinks to himself: “Hey, I must be God, the
Great One, the King of the Hill, the Top of the Heap, the Lord Himself, the
Creator, the Supreme Being, the Almighty, the Father of all, and these beings
have been created by me. Why? Because first I made the wish, and sure enough,
they all appeared!"
Moreover
the beings who re-arose there after him also think: “This must be God, the
Great One, the King of the Hill, the Top of the Heap, the Lord Himself, the
Creator, the Supreme Being, the Almighty, the Father of all. And we have been
created by him. Why? Because we see that he was here first, and we appeared
here after him.”
Just so, the being who re-arose there first
possesses longer life, greater beauty, and greater authority than the beings
who re-arose there after him. One might say it’s an “early bird” kind of deal.
In any case, in the course of time, it comes to be that a certain being, after dropping
down from that glorious plane at the expiration of his code date, takes rebirth
in this world. Having come to this world, it feels as if he has gone from home
to homelessness. He sits down to ponder his fate, and after considering the
matter for a good long time, he begins to remember his immediately preceding
life (but none previous to that). In the meantime, others gradually drop down
and join him in this world, filled alas with snakes and fleas and other
bothersome things.
Remembering
what had gone before, he exclaims to his new disciples: “We were created by Him,
by God, the Great One, the King of the Hill, the Top of the Heap, the Lord
Himself, the Creator, the Supreme Being, the Almighty, the Father of all. He lives
and plays there in His heaven with the greatest of ease, unbothered by snakes
and fleas, with rays of pure light flashing from His Body. He feeds on rapture,
floats through the air as if there was nothing to it, and generally has a real
good time. But we, who have been created by Him and born into this world, are
impermanent, miserable, and doomed to perish. We better start offering stuff to
Him, like those sheep over there.”
