Ascension of Ren Yuto

Ch2

Several months passed and Ren was still having trouble controlling his powers. Adamu is greeting Ren with great patients. Frustrated, Ren screams “AAAAHHHH!!!” slamming his hands down to his side while attempting to meditate. Sending out a shock wave around him. Knocking Adamu across the room and moving furniture. He stands up and walks out of the house passing the lotus field and over to the little bridge. He stands there holding the handrail trying to calm himself. Adamu finishes cleaning up the mess and moving the furniture back then walks out to Ren calmly.

“How are you doing Ren?

“Fine!” He says in a low growling tone while clenching his jaw.

“There is an old saying. ‘Nana korobi ya oki’ means fall seven times, get up eight.” He pauses for a moment. “You are not bad at this and making these mistakes is what learning and practice is for. Just because you make a few mistakes does not mean that you should give up the whole thing.”

“It’s been months and I still can’t control my emotions or my powers.”

“I do not expect you to fully get this in such a short time. You must press on and continue to do the inner work to learn patience with yourself. You must forgive yourself for not being perfect and not mastering this quickly. This thinking that you should get it right away is a form of suffering. You must let go of the desire to have it now and be upset that it’s not happening right now. Let go of the suffering.”

Ren thinks about what Adamu is saying. “So, are you saying that I should not expect to master this in a day?”

“Yes, Ren. You need to let go of the suffering that is not here now. Always keep that as your north star of guidance as something to work towards. But don’t hold yourself back because it has not happened yet.”

“I want to see Chiyo again. I miss her.”

“In time child. In time. You have much to learn. Maybe in spring we can go visit. But for now, you must focus on a calm middle emotion as your center of peace.”

Ren looks off in the distance at the mountains.

“let’s go inside and start an incense and give it another go. Maybe by purging this frustration, you can focus a little better.”

Ren says “Okay.” and heads back into the house. Adamu lights the agarwood incense with a stick lit from the fireplace. The sweet, spicy earthy scent emanates throughout the room. Ren finds this scent calming. He sits back down on his Zabuton meditation cushion and crosses his legs and prepares to meditate. Adamu then sits across from him and does the same.

“Now, we are going to find a middle emotion. One that is not too any extreme. Take some deep breaths. When you breathe in I want you to feel a calming sensation coming in. When you breathe out you should feel all of that negative suffering leave your body.”

Ren takes his breaths and feels the flow of energy entering and exiting his body.

“Good. Now, I need you to rest your focus on the top of your head. Your ears. Your forehead. Your eyes, nose, and mouth. Feel the tension for a moment and release it when you are ready.” Ren follows the instructions.

“Good. Deep breath in, and release the tension. Now, focus on your shoulders, upper arms, forearms, and your hands. All the way down to the tips of your fingers.”

Ren feels a tingling in his fingers and arms.

“Good. Now take a deep breath in and release the tension there as you exhale.”

Ren is feeling more calm as he goes along.

“Focus on your chest, your back, and your stomach for a moment. Feel the nervousness there. Breathe in and let it flow out of your body.”

Ren lowers his shoulders as he relaxes more.

“Now move your focus down to your thighs, your calves, your feet, and toes.”

Ren notices a tingle move with his shifting focus.

“Deep breath in, release it all as you exhale. How do you feel?”

Ren checks his body and finds himself very calm and relaxed. “Calm and relaxed, almost weightless.”

“There, is a reason for that Ren, you are floating.”

Ren opens his eyes in disbelief to find that he is floating a few inches off of the cushion. Ren closes his eyes and tries to hold on to this feeling of calmness to see how long he can stay in the air.

“Good Ren, keep holding onto that for a moment. This, is your center, your peace. Whenever you find yourself drifting to an extreme, guide yourself back to this feeling. This is the middle between extremes. This is a lack of suffering.”

“I can smell the lotus and the incense. The sweet, earthy scents are making me feel better.” Ren takes in a deep breath through his nose and holds it there for a few seconds and pushes out the negative feelings with his exhale.

“You are putting off some heat Ren. You are not glowing but I can feel it. Do you feel it?”

“I do feel warm and cozy inside.”

“You can slowly bring yourself down whenever you are ready.”

Ren thinks about sitting on the cushion and falls a few feet down onto it with a thud. “OOOWWW!!!”

“Are you ok?

“That was a little faster than I wanted it to be.”

“I’ll bet. You showed great control of yourself there. You must guide and harness your power. With more control comes more power. Harness your abilities and use them when you need them.”

Ren notices that he feels much better than he did before. Feeling the sense of peace that Adamu was talking about, he gets up from the cushion and slowly walks over to the door, and stands at the threshold. Taking a deep breath of the lotus flower scent and breathing out a sigh of relief. Gazing upon the flowers and the mountains in the distance. A home-like feeling creeps over him and a smile comes to his lips. Another day to some but a victory to Ren. Armed with the confidence of achievement, he walks back into the house. Adamu is preparing food for the two of them. Ren sits at the table and waits for the food.

“How do you feel now?” Adamu asks.

Ren thinks about it and checks his body for any discomfort and finds none. “I’m good right now. What are we having?”

“Rice and mushrooms.”

“Sounds good. What are we going to do tomorrow?”

“Oh, I think more of the same. A mastery of calmness does not happen in a day. We must practice daily if we wish to ascend.”

“Ascend? What do you mean?”

“To enlighten yourself to a higher calling. To live without desire, fear, and suffering. To be in total control of yourself, inside, and out. For your thoughts and feelings to not be swayed by the thoughts and actions of others. To ascend is to come to a level of control over yourself.”

“How am I doing?”

“You are off to a good start. Some people take years to the level of control that you have now.”

They finish their food and head off to bed. Ren lies there feeling a sense of accomplishment for the day. Finally a little bit of progress. Curiously he thinks about the next day and drifts off to sleep with the scent of lotus in the air.