my memory reproduced the same text, repeating it again and again, as a gramophone record. This time my person panicked strongly of course as I got it finally that my stupidity and naivety brought me like a bird to the cunningly knitted clap-net of my subconsciousness nicely decorated by the words of Ariman. What a pity that I underestimated my memory the day before! And all of that because of my ignorance, so to say “just for fun”. What a “fun”, indeed! Now someone is having fun for sure, but not me. Why are we, people, so strange?! All the time we have doubts, please our Ego, and just play about the knowledge, but don’t cognize. And as a result we get into a tough spot, so it’s high time to cry “Help! SOS! Help me!” However often, whatever hard you cry, if you drown you can save your life only yourself. The same story happened to myself.
Well, it was my own fault, so I had myself to correct my mistakes. It was high time to put my thoughts to order. As an “emergency help” I tried to distract my attention from that “turbulent torrent” and to concentrate on the meditation of Lotus flower. First it didn’t work, because one or another phrase from Ariman’s speech constantly diverted my thoughts. And I couldn’t get rid of that obtrusiveness unless I understood that that thoughts flow didn’t distract my attention but attracted. It meant that I wanted to listen to it, or if to put it correctly, not me, but my Animal nature. So what’s the matter? My wishes are up to me! Having realized my mistake, I began to make my practice of Lotus flower more purposefully since all my wishes and intentions united in one flow of concentration, ignoring all the rest.
Though the Ariman’s speech calmed down, it continued to remain on some second background of my thoughts. Well, Ariman is Ariman! That’s why I decided to use as big guns a new meditation of Lotus flower which was last time told us by Sensei during one of the meditation trainings when he narrated about the endless variety of Lotus. Before that my attempts to master the new meditation were obviously fruitless though Sensei emphasized many times that all depends on the human himself, on his inner nature. But this time evidently due to purity and sincerity of my intentions, the Lotus flower showed itself in a completely unusual way.
When I achieved the clear concentration on the solar plexus, suddenly I saw with some internal vision my Lotus flower! I clear saw it, and not imagined as usually. This flower was beautiful. I have never seen this in my life! Snow-white petals irradiated bright but at the same time very soft light. And the center of the flower gleamed with some golden glow. And what was most striking this divine flower was alive! I noticed that the more I gave it my tenderness and love, the more it reacted to my sincere feelings by waving its very tender and pure little petals. First this waving was slightly noticeable, very alive, I would call it “breathing”. And then the flower began like waking up and showing itself more and more. At some instant it seemed to me but then I really heard very pleasant sound outgoing from one of the waving petals, it was as if sweet singing of a light breeze. Following it another petal sounded its way, producing by vibration a wonderful sound which wasn’t alike any of sounds I knew before. After it the third petal “showed” itself in this increasing melody. And just in a few instants I fully sank into the charming symphony of Lotus which consisted of harmonious, delicate, very pleasant to hear sounds. This music just enchanted by its divine sounds. And the more I sank into it, the more I had increasing feeling of internal all-embracing joy and endless freedom. But the most striking was the feeling when this outstanding sound emanated from Lotus began to turn to the bright soft light which wrapped me up from all the sides filling inside by its wonderful purity. It generated such a feeling of complete joy I never felt before that I dissolved in it fully sinking to the indescribable bliss. As if I disappeared with my body. Only Lotus remained and the cognition of the huge universal Love!
Leaving the state of meditation I felt myself so splendid that I wanted to embrace the whole world. I was in the perfect mood. And what was most striking, there reigned in my thoughts absolute clarity and purity of consciousness. There was no hint on presence of “gramophone record” with Ariman’s speech. Full with optimism, joy from successful meditation and so significant for me victory in gaining morning revenge over my Animal nature, I went out of the tent. First what I saw was a very funny scene.
On the sea coast, not far from canes Eugene sat in lotus position, with a bucket on his head. He fanned himself with some bunch of grass from time to time, with the lonely cane sticking up as a pistil. Stas was sitting near him on the stool and looked at his friend pensively. Victor washed himself in the basin not far from his tent. He splashed with great pleasure, so water scattered in the air to all sides. Sensei and Nikolai Andreevich were walking at the same time alongside the coast towards our tent camp. Some of our guys were swimming far in the sea, so far that only the crown of the head was seen. It was the distance right only for Volodya, if to take into consideration that Sensei and Nikolai Andreevich who were as good as him were that time on the coast.
I came closer to Stas, greeted him and just wanted to question about that unusual Eugene’s pose as Kostya climbed out of his tent. He stretched himself with pleasure and began to do some morning exercises but stopped at once having seen Eugene with a smoked bucket on the head. First his face showed sincere surprize which immediately turned to a grin. Having forgotten about the exercises Kostya approached lazily Stas and merrily asked, “I see that Eugene decided to change his profession from a wrong-way-guide to a shaman? Or does he play an alien? Well, he even has found an antenna! What for? For data transmission to a UFO?”
“It’s not an antenna, it’s a panicle,” Stas answered him patiently as if Kostya wasn’t the first who asked him such questions.
“A panicle?!” Kostya burst laughing looking at Eugene who waved again around himself with that “antenna”. “Why does he need it with a bucket?”
“The panicle is to brush aside flies, and the bucket to shield the thoughts,” Stas explained in a monotonous and absolutely serious way.
“What? Shield the thoughts?!” Kostya laughed once again.
At his laugh Andrew crawled out of his tent, evidently out of curiosity. Rubbing his sleepy eyes he joined our merry company.
“What are you doing here?” He was amazed not less than Kostya looking embarrassed at Eugene.
Stas hemmed.
“Don’t you see? We are taking a crash course of repulsing enemies attacks with aggressive thoughts, of endurability and survivalism of positive thoughts in especially unfavorable conditions. Briefly saying, it’s the struggle with arimanism.”
“What do you mean under arimanism?” Andrew didn’t get it.
Stas shifted his gaze from Eugene to Andrew’s sleepy baggy face.
“Are you ok, guys? My dear friends, you seem not to wake up yet. Don’t worry, it will happen to you soon as well!”
“It sounds like a promising start!” smiled Andrew.
Kostya declared with a triumph in his voice citing one of his favorite classics, “A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation!”
“Well, well,” grinned Stas and stared at Eugene again.
Andrew immediately responded to Kostya’s words and uttered with a snicker, “Which magnifying glass have you used this night in order to find the traces of wisdom in yourself?”
Kostya returned to Andrew in stilted style, “You know, respected Andrian, the son of your father. We, I mean “my Majesty and my Highness”, judge the wisdom not through the things which might seem for some narrow-minded persons to be living essentials in the night, rather we judge them exclusively from their pragmatic use. Since the clever man differs from the wise one, as the clever one knows how to come out of a difficulty and the wise one just avoids it.”
Such a Kostya’s speech made even Eugene to raise a little his bucket and looking at the guy from his shelter he said quite amazed, “No so bad!”
Our group rolled with laughter. And Eugene collected himself and hurried up to put on the bucket again and to continue his experiment.
“But why do you need a bucket?” Andrew asked laughing Stas.
“I explain once again