Twelfth Tale Of a Master of Prayer #7
The emissaries considered why they should be going to the country of the gods whither they had been dispatched.
Instead, this man might better be able to help them because he was a god above all of them (according to their insane opinion) since he had an immensely greater amount of wealth than the others.
So they asked the man whether he would accompany them to their country.
He agreed and went along with them. They arrived in their country and there was much rejoicing at receiving such a god.
They felt assured that through him assistance would surely be rendered.
He was after all a great god, as he had such great wealth. 174
The Chamberlain decreed that no more sacrifices were to be offered until his rule of law was established in the land.
The Chamberlain clearly abhorred the foolish customs of the Nation of Wealth.
But he still could not deter them from their wicked path.
He did, however, order that no more sacrifices be offered.
The people of the nation started asking him about how they should deal with the Warrior, of whom they were so afraid.
The Chamberlain answered them, wondering whether it was the same Warrior that he knew.
So the Chamberlain rose and went down to meet the Warrior.
He asked the Warrior’s entourage if it were possible to have an audience with him.
They said they would announce him. They did so, and the Warrior ordered him to be let in.
The Chamberlain went in to see the Warrior, and they instantly recognized one another. There was great happiness and tears.
The Warrior said to the Chamberlain, Our virtuous Master of Prayer has also been here. I have already seen him. He has become a king, too.
The Chamberlain then related that he had discovered all the places everyone had been, including that of the King and his retinue.
But he had never come across places where the Master and the Warrior had been.
He and the Warrior discussed the nation where they were so deluded and seduced by money as to fall into such folly.
The Warrior replied with what he had told the Master.
He had heard from the King that whoever fell into the lust for money could never be extricated except, perhaps, by finding the path to the aforementioned sword.
The two of them discussed this at length, but the Chamberlain prevailed upon the Warrior to 175 extend the ultimatum for the nation, which he did.
Then they established signals by which one might get news from the other.
The Chamberlain then left the Warrior and returned to the Nation of Wealth.
The Chamberlain severely reproached the citizens there for the evil path they had strayed upon with regard to money.
But he could not lead them from it for they were so deeply entrenched in it.
Nevertheless, since the Master and the Chamberlain devoted so much time to holding forth about it, the people had become a bit perplexed.
Even though they still clung to their deluded opinion and did not want to be extricated from their folly, at last they said, Alright already, lead us out of it.
If it is indeed the case that we are in error, lead us out of our folly.
The Chamberlain said to the people there, I shall give you some advice regarding the Warrior, for I know his power and whence he derives his valour.
He went on to tell them of the sword, which was the source of the Warrior’s strength.
So I shall accompany you on the way to the sword and through it you shall be the equal of the Warrior, deriving the same strength from it as he does.
The Chamberlain’s true intent was for the people to find the path to the sword, which would lead them out of their lust for money, since that path to the sword might lead them out of such lust.
The people accepted his advice and dispatched their great leaders, that is to say, their gods, to accompany the Chamberlain on the path to the sword.
To accompany the Chamberlain, these gods dressed themselves for the journey in vestments adorned 176 with gold and silver, for that was the most important thing to them.
They all headed off together, the Chamberlain and the country’s great divine leaders.
The Chamberlain informed the Warrior of the fact that he was leading them on the path to the sword, hoping that along the way they might have the privilege of finding the King and his retinue.
The Warrior said, I will join you on your way.
So the people accompanying the Chamberlain would not recognize him as the Warrior, he disguised himself and went with them.
The Chamberlain and the Warrior decided to inform the Master, and the Master said he would also join them.
Before he left, the Master told his people to pray to Blessed God that their way might be successful and that they might be deemed worthy of finding the King and his retinue.
The Master would always pray thus for the recovery of the King and his retinue and would always command his people to pray accordingly.
He composed prayers for them to offer. Now that he was off on the journey to find the King and his retinue, he told them to pray even more steadfastly than ever in his absence that he and his companions be worthy of finding them.
When the Master joined the Chamberlain and the Warrior there was certainly great rejoicing, with happiness and tears. The three went on together, along with the country’s gods. They travelled on and on and arrived in a country where guards were stationed at its border.
They asked the guards, What country is this and who is your king? 177
The guards replied, When the great tempest struck, and the world was divided into many groups, the people of this country chose wisdom as their principal goal and accepted a great sage as their king.
It was not long before they had found an immensely great sage who was uniquely and exceedingly wise.
The erstwhile king relinquished his kingship to him and they made this sage their new king, for their principal ideal was wisdom.
The Chamberlain, the Warrior and the Master said, Clearly this must be our Sage.
The three asked whether it were possible to obtain an audience with their king.
The guards replied that they would announce them.
They did so, and he ordered they be let in.
The three went in to see the sage who had become king of that country and they all instantly recognized one another, for this sage was indeed the King’s Sage.
There was, of course, great rejoicing, with happiness and tears.
They cried over not finding the King and the rest of his retinue.
They asked the Sage whether he knew of the King’s Yad.
He replied that he had the Yad, but since they had been dispersed by the great tempest he had no wish to look into it, as it belonged to the King alone.
But he had engraved the image of the Yad on a stone so it might be useful to his work.
But he had never looked into the original Yad again.
They chatted with the Sage about how he had come to be there and he told them that after the great tempest he went wherever his feet took him.
On his travels he passed by every place except those where the Master, the Warrior and the Chamberlain had been.
Eventually the people of this country found him and made 178 him their king.
For the time being he had to lead them according to their practice and their wisdom until he could lead them forth into the real truth.
They discussed with the Sage the Nation of Wealth where the people had become so deluded into the lust for money.
The others said, If only we were no longer so scattered and dispersed.
For that nation’s sake, it would indeed be a great boon to correct their ways and turn them to the truth, for they have been so misled.
Indeed, each one of the groups chose its own folly; some chose honour, some chose murderousness, and so forth, and were all thereby deluded.
All of them need to be led forth towards the true goal.
For even the group that chose for itself the goal of wisdom has not reached the true goal.
They, too, need to be led forth, because they adhere to profane knowledge and slip into apostasy.
It is far easier, however, to extricate people from other follies.
Those who have been deluded into the idolatry of money, and have fallen into it so deeply, cannot be extricated.
The Sage replied that he, too, had heard from the King that one could be extricated from all the lusts, but from the lust for money one could not be extricated except by means of the path to the mighty sword.
The Sage said that he would also accompany them, and the four of them continued on their way together, along with the so-called gods who were with them.
They came to another country and asked the guards stationed there, What country is this and who is your king?
The guards replied, When the great tempest struck, the people of this country chose eloquence as the most essential thing and decided to have a masterful orator as their king.
So they found 179 a great grandiloquent master of rhetoric and made him their king.
The erstwhile king relinquished his kingship to him for he saw this was a true master of rhetoric.
The four surmised, That must surely be our King’s Orator.
They asked if it were possible to have an audience with their king.
They said they would announce him. They did so, and the king ordered them to be let in.
They went in to see the king, and it was indeed the King’s Orator.
They all instantly recognized one another. There was great happiness and tears.