Part VI | Mount Sumeru | The Water Temple Delegation
Milo rubbed his index finger gently over holes near the top of the horn.
“What are these holes for Papa?”
Khepri examined the horn closely. “It looks like these holes were made with an awl. Perhaps by a Viking or a Dwarf. Let me see if there is a picture.”
Khepri opened up an old, yellowed book with wrinkled pages and handed it to Milo and Reya so they could see.
Reya started to read,
“It says here the Horn(s) of Helheim were originally carved by Vikings and Dwarves with instructions on how to open and close the Gates of Helheim. The first horn with awl-punctured holes is for opening the gate, a second horn with similar holes is for closing the gate, and the third horn is carved with the Vegvisir.”
“See!” Reya held out the book so Khepri could see the illustration.
“Interesting” Khepri murmured and continued reading the ancient script,
“These horns were carved after the Norse god Odin and his party were shut out of Asgard in the freezing winter cold, so that the gates can be opened and closed with ease, and so wayward travelers do not have problems in the winter's cold. Odin left the Vegvisir as a signpost, for “Routes North” southwest of Volgograd, Russia on the outskirts of Volgodonsk, but the Vegvisir also contains the names of the Buddha's fifteen disciples (as eight compass points) who travelled to the Caspian Sea region and arrived approximately three months after Meteor Night. [1]
The Vegvisir shows the names of the Buddha and a second Buddha, Destroying All Worldly Fears (also known as the Egyptian sun god Ra), at the Northeastern compass point, perhaps indicating that this was the direction they had come from.”
Khepri closed the book and started building a fire in the cave's center. Reya relaxed in the corner with cider and waited for the cave to warm up. Milo continued reading until late into the night about The Egyptian Water Temple.
~
The Egyptian Water Temple
500 BC ~ On the way to the Phantom City, the Buddha's delegation find “The Poor Woman's Lamp” [2] still lit near Mount Sumeru, northwest of Kashmir, around the Pamir Mountains. [3]
The Poor Woman's Lamp
During the Buddha's lifetime, there lived an old woman of profound faith. She longed to offer something precious to the Buddha, but was too poor to do so. One day, the old woman encountered a procession of carts carrying an abundance of flax oil through the streets of Magadha. The oil, she learned, was a donation to the Buddha from King Ajatashatru.
Deeply moved, the old woman cut her hair and sold it. With her meager earnings, she bought just enough oil to light a lamp for half a night. Still, she thought, if the Buddha recognizes my faith and feels compassion for me, then the lamp will burn throughout the night.
Sure enough, as strong winds swept down from Mount Sumeru, all the lamps were extinguished, except for the flame of the lamp fed by her oil. The following morning, when people tried to blow the flame out, it glowed all the more brightly, as if to illuminate the entire world.
The Buddha reproached his disciples for trying to extinguish her lamp, explaining that in previous existences, she had made offerings to 13 million Buddhas. He then prophesied that she would become a Buddha called Lamp Light Sumeru. In contrast, Ajatashatru, who was filled with arrogance, did not receive a prophecy of enlightenment from the Buddha.
In the end, the poor woman's lamp was far more valuable than the thousands of barrels of lamp oil offered by the ruler of the country, because it was an offering given with her entire being.
~
On the road to the Phantom City, the Buddha's followers entreat him to turn the wheel of
the Buddhist Law: [4]
World-Honored One, turn the wheel of the Law,
strike the Dharma drum of sweet dew,
save living beings in their suffering and anguish,
open up and show us the way to nirvana!
The Buddha's delegation continue north, eventually reaching the main temple at the Phantom City. Soon they will be joined by others.
~
Notes
[1] The Buddha's Disciples on the Vegvisir
"Parable of the Phantom City" names on p. 173
[2] The Poor Woman's Lamp
“Shining With the Light of Gratitude” World Tribune April 5, 2013
Reply to Onichi-nyo
[3] The Pamir Mountains
Mount Sumeru (Meru)
The Roof of the World (Mount Sumeru/Mount Meru/The Pamirs)
The Pamir Mountains
[4] "Parable of the Phantom City"