Part XXII | Games of Time | The Good Luck Charm
That night in Bavaria...
Magical Roulette
The Lotus Pond
The mermaid swam to the surface of the green Lotus Pond and took a quick glance around to see where she was. Several round, green lily pads with pink Lotus flowers on top floated calmly on the pond's surface. The Green Lotus Door stood silent, but someone had left a bronze horseshoe nailed to the front, a few four-leaf clovers on the doorstep, and a ladybug with a message that said “We'll be fine if you don't come.”
Bavarian Ball
Madam Pink Tea looked down at her Roulette Card and wondered what had happened to Helios back at the castle. “How was Helios to know that her own son would take the heart of Odysseus instead of his?” Everything had happened so suddenly. Merlin had slipped and then tripped and a bright green explosion had ended everything for them that evening at the Palace in Bavaria.
Magical Roulette
[1] The Magical Lamp of Aladdin
Suppose the Magical Lamp of Aladdin was originally a gift of lamp oil made by Aladdin's grandmother to the Buddha in India? However, many centuries have passed and this information has been lost over time. What do you do with the Lamp and your new knowledge of the Lamp's origins?
rub it to see if the Genie appears
Contact Hollywood and make another Disney movie
Sell it or exchange it for something else
contact a historical society
try to find its true owner
donate it to a museum
etc...
[2] The Lotus Sutra
~ Buddhism is like an ocean that one can only enter with faith.
~
This is because, as the Lotus Sutra says, the truth can only be understood ‘between Buddhas.’ In the ‘Simile & Parable’ chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha declares, ‘Even you Shariputra, in the case of this sutra, were able to gain entrance through faith alone.’ Even Shariputra, who was known for his great wisdom, was, with respect to the Lotus Sutra, able to gain entrance through faith and not through the power of his wisdom.
If someone told you the Lotus Sutra was the Buddha’s highest teaching and should be followed regardless of the beliefs of others, would you follow?
[3] The Sacred Spring
Suppose someone gave you a map to a Sacred Spring whose value and significance had been carefully guarded over the years. You discover the Spring’s mysterious properties that seem to bestow eternal youth and magical powers, yet the deleterious consequences are too numerous to mention. What do you do with your new knowledge?
1} ask for advice from a trusted friend
2} sell the information & try to profit off of it
3} hide the map and don’t tell anyone
4} use the Spring yourself without regard to the consequences