Shambhala (14 page)

IN THE MORNING
Bahi feels much better and is finally able to eat. He hobbles down to the stream for water and sits by its edge and thinks, still in a daze after the incredible dream. He looks down and across the stream. A wolf laps up water, peering at him with yellow eyes. Bahi’s heart stops as the wolf suspends his drinking—locking eyes with Bahi. The animal’s gray coat is clouded in black shrugs as he pulls his head from the water and runs, crossing the stream near Bahi. Bahi leaps up, dropping his pot, and with no regard for the pain in his leg, begins to run to the cliff. The wolf quickly gains on him, tripping him with a bite of his shoe. Bahi falls to the ground, quickly rolling onto his back. He can smell the wolf lunging at him as he shields his eyes and face in defense. After a moment he lowers his guard as the wolf just pants in his face, standing over his chest.

“Hello?” Bahi ventures cautiously.

“Oh, me too!” the wolf says. Bahi cautiously sits up on the cold rocky ground, with heart still pumping and beads of sweat forming on his body. “Some wound you got there,” the wolf comments.

“Yeah, I fell,” Bahi says, still uncertain.

“You mind if I clean it up for ya? Looks like it might get infected.”

“Sure.” Bahi says hesitently as the wolf begins to lick the wound.

“Ouch!” Bahi cries, pulling away.

“Don’t worry, after this you’ll be a new man,” the wolf says between licks.

Bahi endures the pain, remembering that dogs have healing agents in their saliva. He smiles uncomfortably as the coarse tongue disinfects his wound. Finishing up, the wolf licks around his mouth and paws. Bahi looks down at his cleaned wound. “Thanks.”

“Oh, nothing to it. Glad to be of assistance. Say, what brings you out here, anyway?”

“I’m looking for a wise man who lives not far from here.”

“Oh, yeah I know him, of him. I mean, it’s not far from here.”

“Could you take me there?” Bahi asks, standing and brushing off his clothes.

“Sure. It’ll be about a days walk with that leg. You’re lucky I came this way. You could easily be dinner with that hobble.”

“For whom? You?”

“Ah! No. Humans don’t taste too good from what I’ve heard. But there are all types in this forest who would eat just about anything. In fact, I can hear them salivating now waiting for me to leave,” his ears perk up.

Bahi looks around nervously, saying, “Yes, yes, I would be in your debt if you would show me the way.”

“Ha ha, I am sure you would,” the wolf says raising his head proudly and shaking his thick fur that covers his stocky fit body. “What’s the name?”

“Bahi, what’s yours?”

“Bahi, eh. Funny you don’t look like a Bahi.”

“Oh yeah? What do I look like?”

“You look like a Jack.”

“What about Paul,” Bahi asks.

“What about Bahi?” the wolf laughs, then strikes a serious tone. “I am Ajee,” he says, lowering his head in honor.

“Funny, you don’t look like an Ajee,” Bahi fires back.

“Oh yeah? What do I look like then?”

“You look like a wolf,” Bahi says as they both laugh.

“Jack and the Wolf,” Ajee says, feeling a camaraderie.

“So, Wolf, who named you, anyway?”

“A wise old Baba with whom I would have conversations. In fact you are the only other human I’ve ever talked to. Say, are you a wise Baba too?”

“Far from it, Wolf. Far from it.”

“Who named you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“You’d be surprised what these eyes and ears have witnessed in this forest, Bahi. Try me.”

“A monkey.”

“A monkey?”

“That’s right, a friend, a brother,” Bahi says proudly in a reverent manner.

“A monkey. Well then, I didn’t see that one coming, but, hey, we’ve all got our stories don’t we?”

“I presume we do. What’s your story, Ajee?”

“It’s a long one, and best told on our way to your destination before these predators have both of us for breakfast,” Ajee says looking into the thick of the forest.

Bahi strains to look, but sees only wooded forest. An eerie feeling of being watched washes over him. “Let me gather my things, and we’ll be off.”

Bahi gathers his belongings, puts on his backpack, and urinates on the still-hot ambers of the fire. Smoke loudly pours out of the sizzling ambers as he finishes up and hobbles alongside Ajee. He feels safe in the protection of his new wolf friend. Walking off along the sunlit path, Bahi again asks, “So what’s your story?”

“Ah, yes, the story. Well, where to begin? The journey has been long.” As Ajee thinks where to begin Bahi picks up a tall stick he uses to crutch the weight of his bad leg. “I was born second in line to the alpha male of our pack. My brother went crazy and tried to kill me, yada yada yada. I left the pack as a lone wolf, tried to find a good female companion to no avail, fell in with a wise Baba who taught me great lessons, and now here I am.”

“Certainly that was the abridged version,” Bahi says.

“The what?” Ajee asks, confused.

“The short version.”

“Yes, the short version. Hey, I figure it like this: if you have no story you have nothing to live up to, and every day is like a renewal,” Ajee says, stopping by the stream to drink.

“I like that, Wolf. I like it a lot,” Bahi says, bending down and cupping his hands. He scoops out some of the icy cold water into his mouth.

“What about you, Jack? What’s your story?”

“I told you, a monkey named me,” he answers with a smirk.

“And before the monkey?”

“Well, I was born somewhere that I can’t remember and yada yada yada. I hit my head, monkeys, little people, a tiger, hurt my leg and now a wolf.”

They both have a laugh. “I see you and I will get along just fine,” Ajee says, walking off onto the path followed by Bahi.

“Hey, Wolf!” Bahi calls out.

“Yes?”

“What does Ajee mean?”

“Immortal.”

“Oh, OK, cool. And are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Immortal, like your name says?”

“We will all die, Bahi. Everything ends. This is what the Baba taught me above all.”

“Sounds like a fatalist, this Baba,” Bahi says.

Ajee stops, looking up at Bahi. “If everything dies and ends constantly, then this is the true nature of things, and thus death is a mere word. What really happens is change of form, constantly. I am not the same wolf physically as I was when I was born—and you too.”

“I am not the same wolf. You are right,” Bahi says, adding some humor.

“Therefore, we never die. We are immortal in the sense that we just keep cycling back around into different forms, like the words coming out of my mouth: one ends to create another. This is the only way it can be, like the river that flows, stagnation is a myth, change is the only certitude my friend.”

Bahi thinks a minute about how fortunate he is to keep running into these wise animals. He never would have thought that so many animals could pass down such wisdom. “Wow, that’s profound, Wolf.”

“That’s not my words, it’s the wise Baba’s,” Ajee says, again stopping to lower his head in reverence.

“Perhaps I should meet this Baba.”

“You just have. His body has passed on long ago,” Ajee says.

“So there is death,” Bahi confirms.

“You, me, this tree: we will die. This body will wither and perish, and it will happen quicker than you think. This is why we must practice helping others and perform virtuous deeds, so our next form could be conducive to furthering the advancement of our minds. Or perhaps next I will be human,” Ajee says proudly.

“I’ve been told it’s the thing to be these days,” Bahi says again, adding humor to the conversation. “I agree with you, Ajee, about virtuous deeds of helping others and such.”

“It only makes sense. The energy we go forward with is the energy that creates the next moment, like a sentence. If I begin an angry sentence it throws that energy forward, creating anger. So too do all our actions. And since we never know when this body will die, we need to practice always, have a sense of urgency each moment, because that moment could be our last and that last moment will propel us into the next moment with whatever we have chosen.”

“This Baba was wise, and I feel he was not the only one with wisdom. You too are wise, Ajee. I am looking for a place called Shambhala. Has the Baba ever talked about this to you?”

Ajee halts to a gasp, looking into Bahi’s eyes. “And this only humans can achieve.”

“How do you mean?” Bahi asks.

“The Baba talked about Shambhala, where the bread is always warm, the butter plenty, and rivers of nectar flow endlessly. Fires glow soft and strong and will never burn you. It’s a pure land, Bahi. Yet animals will pass it by and never notice it. It takes only the mind of a human to find it, an exceptional human at that.”

“Why is that?”

“I am unsure. Perhaps because of our minds. Not all animals think like me Bahi. I was blessed by the Baba. Before that all I did was eat, sleep, and hunt prey in almost constant fear. Now I still do this, but somehow am conscious of this and thus I am trying to live a life that will gain me a favorable rebirth so I can reach this Shambhala. It is here where one can be enabled to help all. The most virtuous life of all can be lived once one passes through its gates.”

“Well, Ajee, if and when I find it, I promise you I will come back and show you the way.”

Ajee’s eyes and ears perk up. Then, remembering the teaching of the Baba, he sighs, “Perhaps in another life, my friend. Time is fleeting, and you are fortunate to be human and even more fortunate to be on the path to Shambhala. My path there is much longer than yours, but we mustn’t give up.”

“I won’t give up, Ajee. I started out looking for this place for myself, to answer questions of who I am. And now I want to find it so I can learn how to help everyone. And in truth, if it were just a journey for myself, I may have abandoned it long ago. I now go on for the benefit of everyone: friends I’ve lost, friends like you, in fact I almost gave up hope that this place even existed and lost scope of why I wanted to find it, but now, my friend, you have renewed hope in me.”

“Glad I could help, Jack, but you’ll never find the wise man, let alone Shambhala, if we don’t keep moving.”

Bahi breathes in a breath mixed with laughter, and together they walk along the open plains. A cold mist sets upon the otherwise dry field dotted with pine trees. Bahi stops for a moment to rest his leg. The late morning sun quickly dries the dampness that permeates the air from the long night. Feeling the warmth on his face he can no longer see his breath as the day progresses. Ajee saunters over and begins to lick Bahi’s wounded leg. “Hee hee, that tickles, ouch!” Bahi cries out.

“Sorry, Jack.”

“No worries, it’s just a bit raw still.”

“Can you manage to go on?”

“Yeah, just need a few moments to rest here and there.”

Ajee sits besides Bahi, biting at some bugs that land on his rear before letting out a yawn that ends with a squeal of relief. They sit in silent contemplation. Ajee happily pants, tongue askew, hanging out over his teeth, bobbing from his rapid breathing. Bahi ponders the amazing journey he has thus endured,
a talking wolf
, he thinks, as he laughs to himself. Getting up, he gives a pat on Ajee’s hide, springing him quickly to his feet.

“Feel rested?” Ajee asks.

“Somewhat. Good enough, I suppose.”

“Onward?” Ajee asks.

“Onward, Wolf, onward.”

Bahi peers out across the field toward the thick of the woods. With each passing day and every step North it grows colder. He realizes that they are now traveling northwest, and he has a feeling of confidence in his path, confidence that had been lacking for a few days. The day’s sun is as strong as Bahi’s resolve as they enter a narrow path of a pine forest. Bahi begins to whistle a tune he feels is familiar but can’t place the name. Ajee hums along as the two make merrily on their way for some time—before coming to a gorge. The crisp spray from the crashing gorge splashes off a felled tree. Ajee hops upon the tree, which acts as a bridge between the two sides of the gorge. Bahi joins him and sits in the noonday sun, watching the water rush below his feet. Falcons circle in the air above tall pines in the deep, bright blue sky adorned with thick, glowing, clouds. Crossing the water, they take in the beauty that surrounds. Bahi releases his pack, placing it on the brown pine needle floor, taking out the last two rolls. “Bread?” He extends his hand to a sniffing Ajee, who graciously takes it into his sharp fangs and then carefully places it on the tree, where he stands biting at it. Bahi follows the roll with a crisp red apple and nuts, which he shares with Ajee.

“I’ve never had these.
Nuts
you call them?” Ajee asks.

“Yes,
nuts
: almonds, full of protein, great for hiking.”

“Hiking?” Ajee asks.

“Walking long distances as we are, humans call that a hike.”

“Speaking of which we still have a long journey ahead of us. Shall we?” Ajee invites.

Bahi stretches and cautiously makes his way to his feet. He follows Ajee to the other side of the gorge, careful not to lose footing on the slippery parts splashed with water and cultivated with slick moss. Walking on, Bahi notices he is still hungry. Thoughts of the wonderful meals he had at the Baba’s home fill his mind. His food has rapidly grown scarce now: only a couple of oranges and handful of almonds lie in his pack.
Why hadn’t I bought more?
he worries,
I should have had an entire pack just for food
.

As they trek on and on, Bahi’s leg swells, and he begins taking breaks more often. Sitting at one such break on a rock in the forest, Ajee runs off into the woods to relieve himself. Bahi notices him as he gallops back with a smile that seems to be always on his face. Optimism pours from his dark yellow eyes, a trait Bahi accepts easily.

“The sun is setting, and we still have a while to go. Maybe we should stay here until morning,” Ajee suggests, pointing his snout toward a pine-tree-sheltered area behind them.

“Good idea. I’ll collect some wood for a fire.”