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Ajith accepted the other glass, tasted the warm liquid and bit into a piece of jaggery which he took from the saucer.

Which podiya went back to the bark interior of the temple, the priest asked Ajith, “So, sir, did you tell that woman about this?”

“No, reverend. That woman’s husband had been taken away by the police. They have told her that the army had taken him. In the end she came looking for me to the camp. She asked me to help her find her man. This happened more than five years ago.”

“So, did you try to find the man?”

“No, reverend. The land mine exploded in the meantime. I was taken to the hospital in Vavuniya and form there I was transferred to Colombo. I was in the rehab and then I got to do office duties. But I could not attend to my work right. That explosion and everything afterwards kept bothering me.”

“It is very hard to forget something like that, I know. Everything is in our mind.”

“So, reverend, amidst all this I keep seeing the face of that Tamil woman. I feel that I have to help her some way.”

“Do you have her address?”

“I have an address in Niveli. I wrote to that address, reverend, but there’s no reply. And there’s no way that I can go to Jaffna now.”

“That’s true.”

“That woman knows Singhalese as well. She had lived in Nugegoda when she was small. We are also from Nugegoda. First I thought that I might have seen her there somewhere. But after that explosion, I had another dream. It was a fire…. There was a man in the middle of it……..” Ajith found it hard to say anymore.

“You seem very uncomfortable, sir.”

“I came in search of you after I read the article you had written paper about hypnosis. When I heard that you can hypnotize a person and find out about his previous life……”

“Will, let’s try it then,” the priest showed some enthusiasm. “Many have looked into their past lives and had corrected errors in this lifetime. Then only one realizes the dreamy illusionary nature of life. Then one truly realizes that there’s nothing to hold on to as yours or mind. Some others want to go on in this journey…….that’s the human nature….”

“I really feel like what is the point of being born again, reverend- when I see all the suffering that is going on all around.”

“That is a good understanding.”

“I wonder why people have to kill each other. For what?”

“That’s true, sir. why” Do we take any of this when we go? All that we take with us is what we have done- the good and bad -the force of Kamra. That is why we should always do good and do the best we can. We need a boat to go across. the stream. We have to make that boat sturdy and strong without any holes in it. We have to build and guide our thoughts in the same way. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, let’s go then to the room.” Following the monk who stood up and adjusted his robe, Ajith entered another room in the temple.

“This is an old temple. The rooms are very small. We have one other monk here. He has gone to Anuradhapura to teach meditation.”

“This appears to be a very quiet area.”

“Pathirupa dese vasocha – the Buddha said, live in a suitable area. We have to create a surrounding that is suitable for us to live.”

“That is true.”

“Lie down on that bed.” In the middle of the room was a small bed with a chair nearby. When he lay down, Ajith could see the blue curtains on the windows and the pale blue wall all around.

“Blue is the color to calm down. Lie down like that and close your eyes and think of floating in a nice clear cool blue stream of water.”

When Ajith closed his eyes, he heard the priest’s voice very close to him from the direction of the chire.

“Now, concentrate on your feet. Now wash away the tenseness in that area and relax. Let that cool water wash away all the rigidity.”

“Hm……..”

“You need not reply. Just act according to what I say. Then afterwards whatever questions I ask, find the answers yourself and remember them.”

Ajith went quiet.

“Good, now concentrate on your ankles. Let go of all the tension inthat area and relax.” In this manner reverend Subuthi gave suggestion to relax Ajith’s whole body. In little while Ajith felt as if he were floating on a soft cotton cloud.

“Now, your thoughts can travel to the past. All those thoughts and memories we have stored in our consciousness. While you are like that move away from that body and you can go back in time.” Ajith could feel as if he were floating up in a lightness. It was as if he were in space and looking down at the earth below. With the next suggestion from the monk, he went back to the place of his pervious existence.

“Now, look at the surrounding where you live in that lifetime. Look to your left and to your right. Look ahead of you. What can you see? Look at the door from which you are entering the place where you live…… Look at the place where you live. Look inside your dwelling.”