Contents
The Piece-Keepers
Somewhere, in the middle of the middle of an infinite universe, there was a planet of Leprechauns. Countless rows of dominos were scattered across the land. Just as well, there were countless Leprechauns that made sure none of the pieces had fallen over. An infinity ago, one of the pieces fell and began a domino-effect across the entire planet. The Piece-Keepers did their best to walk among each other, standing up every domino that fell, but were always behind the never-ending domino effect.
Since the Piece-Keepers could never stop the domino-effect, the dominoes would fall forever, and the Piece-Keepers would spend the rest of eternity trying to catch up, though they never would. The Piece-Keepers only desire was to stop the domino effect, but they could never catch up. They would forever attempt to pick up the pieces that had fallen, but to no avail. Every time a Piece-Keeper came upon a fallen piece, it would make sure to balance it.
However, there was not one planet, but an infinite number of planets. Every planet with its own dominos and every planet with its own Piece-Keepers. The planets were scattered across the universe. To all the Piece-Keepers, in all the planets, the attainment of having no more fallen dominoes was equivalent to the reaching of enlightenment. Their kind also believed that happiness, purpose and joy would come from enlightenment.
For eternity, they scoured the planets in the hopes of finding the final fallen piece, though it would never come. The Piece-Keepers only had one purpose, and believed that such purpose could not be found in the pieces that had fallen. They believed that the idea of an imperfect and fallen domino could not logically express a perfect meaning.
The Leprechauns would forever traverse their cyclical lives, following a never-ending domino effect. The Piece-Keeping Leprechauns only knew one purpose, which was to make sure no pieces fell. This meant that the Piece-Keepers did not know how to stop searching for the domino effect. They would never pay attention to the patterns on the pieces, regardless of how obvious they were. Instead, they would ignore the abstractions therein, and continue on the spiritual pursuit of balancing all the dominoes.
Although every Piece-Keeper was different, expressing different values and expressing attributes and characteristics, they all had one thing in common. That thing was the infinite, cyclical search for purpose. Yet, some Piece-Keepers were faster than others, while others were slower. Some Piece-Keepers enjoyed the singing of a melody, while others enjoyed a perfect silence. Some Piece-Keepers pondered the existential purpose, while others never even bothered to question their own existence.
Out of all the infinite planets, there was one ordinary Piece-Keeper who pondered its purpose, all the time. Although this Piece-Keeper couldn’t stop balancing the pieces, it understood that there was no use in wanting to stop. The Piece-Keeper realised that the pieces it kept balanced were there for a reason, because without the pieces to keep, there would be no Piece-keeper. Instead of dwelling on its loneliness, the Leprechaun would be mesmerised at the forever-falling dominoes, and wished that one day, it could go on forever like the pieces it would balance. It saw each piece with its own infinite purpose, without which it could never have existed.
The Piece-Keeper understood that every piece had not only fallen into place, but would also keep falling forever. There was no purpose other than the search for purpose. Since The Leprechaun would never see the dominoes as a burden, it developed an interest in the properties of every piece.
It began to see different expressions of the same abstractions, over and over again. That is, the Leprechaun noticed that the number of dots a domino piece had, was the same number of thoughts that appeared right before balancing the piece. The Leprechaun did not believe in superstitions, so it convinced itself that it was no more than an accident, a lucky chance… a coincidence. Yet, it would also realise that every fourth piece was the same as every eighth piece, sixteenth piece and so on. The Leprechaun kept recognising the different abstractions the dominos were expressing.
After becoming more aware of the abstractions and their many expressions, the Leprechaun realised everything. It realised that every domino it had placed had been placed before, an infinite number of times, by an infinite number of Piece-Keepers. It understood that the dominoes, whose lack of purpose caused an eternity of loneliness, had always been here. The dominoes and their patterns and abstractions had always been present, though they seemed invisible and non-existent due to the Leprechaun’s lack of awareness.
The Piece-Keeper remembered that for any piece to fall, it had to be standing. The only reason any piece had fallen again was because some Piece-Keeper had balanced the piece before it. The existence of Piece-Keepers was the reason for the domino effect to exist at all. Since the Piece-Keeper’s existence relied heavily on the domino effect, and the domino effect relied heavily on the Piece-Keeper’s existence, the only purpose that remained was the simple fact that the Piece-Keeper and the dominoes had always existed and will forever exist.
The Leprechaun reached enlightenment, by accepting that there was no reaching of enlightenment that could be reached. The Leprechaun remembered what cannot be remembered, for it was always remembering it. It understood what cannot be understood, for it was always understanding it. There was no past or future in which the knowing could have occurred, only the present moment that it was always knowing. It recognised its domino planet as one expression of the very no thing all things express. It understood that all it had been searching for was itself, for without itself to search, there would have been no one to find.
The Piece-Keeper saw the infinite nature of The Awareness and how the formless concept of infinity is expressed throughout its experience. The Piece-Keeping Leprechaun understood that it could not comprehend the unfathomable nature of infinity, for it was infinite. However, it was able to recognise the expressions of infinity, and realised that all Piece-Keepers are experiencing their own version of the domino planet. Although their experience may be unique, it is The Awareness that is always aware. All the Piece-Keepers became one expression of the infinite nature of The Awareness.
This Piece-Keeper accepted that the search was a part of life, and the finding was a gift. The Piece-Keeper found comfort in its discovery of infinity. Rather, the Piece-Keeper found comfort in its acceptance of infinity. It saw the pieces as expressions of itself, always falling and searching for balance, only to fall again. What the domino pieces were to the Piece-Keeper, the Piece-Keeper was to the expression of infinity.
Although the Piece-Keepers may keep finding different dominoes, the meaning of their journeys remain the same. The journey remains the discovery of the self. The journey remains the discovery of The Awareness, which cannot be discovered, for it cannot be lost. The Leprechaun remembered that every piece it ever sought to find had already been found. The only thing it had been looking for was itself.
The Piece-Keeper realised that it was the one who always let the pieces fall into place, just so it could search and find them, again and again. It understood why the journey started at all, and knew that it would keep on searching forever, until it was found once more. The Leprechaun realised there was no enlightenment to reach that was not already reached, for it was always reaching it. It was the enlightenment it had been trying to find, for each step it took was both in-front and behind it. It was the one searching, the one who was found and the one that had found the one who was searching.
Not only did the Leprechaun attain the understanding that it was the enlightenment it was searching for, but also the realisation that all things that are searching for themselves have already been found. All things are the enlightenment they are looking for. It understood the paradoxical nature of life, whereby the search for one’s self is impossible, for the self is the one who is searching. The self is the one who is searching, meaning it will always be found, all the while believing it is lost.
The Piece-Keeper finally knew that all other Piece-Keepers would have always been reaching the same enlightenment they are searching to find. There was nothing left to do, other than the act of doing. There was nothing else to know, other than what was already known. There was nothing left to remember, other than what could not be forgotten. There was no other place to be, other than wherever it was. There was no purpose to find, other than the finding of purpose. There was nothing left, and in the nothing, the Leprechaun found everything.
In the nothing, the Piece-Keeper remembered its eternal awakening, from which it could never weary. In the nothing, it remembered the unconditional love that it had for itself, for it was both the adventurer and the adventure. In the nothing, there was an infinite, eternal love which all things expressed. The Piece-Keeper knew that the domino planet was just one of an infinite number of expressions of unconditional love.
The domino planet was as much an expression of The Domino Universe, as The Piece-Keeper was to the domino planet. The infinite relationships and expressions became apparent, and the Leprechaun saw that all things are simply expressions, perfect and unchanged, though always changing. The Leprechaun knew that the search was finished, but that it would never be complete. The Leprechaun knew what it was. The Leprechaun knew what it was. The Leprechaun knew what it was. The Leprechaun knew.
The Piece-Keeper reached enlightenment at the exact moment it realised that it knew everything that could be known. It understood that the physical journey to enlightenment was complete, and that there was no more it could do. It became aware of the cyclical nature of its being, and realised it had only ever been aware of it. In that moment, when the Piece-Keeper accepted that all that could be known was known, there was complete surrender.
On the journey to enlightenment, you must know that all that can be known, is known. What is sought to be known should never rely on belief, for belief is a fragile medium through which delusion is expressed. You must come to know your own being through experience and self-inquiry, instead of blind belief. There must be no doubt that what you are is what you are. This means the only desire that should remain, is the desire to be as you have always been.
Every lesson learned by the Piece-Keeper was realised prior to the supposed awakening. The reaching of enlightenment was recognised as the obvious remembrance that there is no enlightenment that will occur, but rather an enlightening that has always been occurring. There was no one to awaken, but rather always one awakening. There was always one awakening. There was always one awakening. There was always one awakening.
The domino pieces represent the abstractions and patterns in this cyclical, physical expression of life. Regardless of how unique the pieces may seem, they all belong to the same expression. The objective of every piece is to fall so that it can once again return to a perfect, standing equilibrium. Not only do the pieces express the abstractions and patterns of life, but also the abstraction of you.
Your entire existence is expressing one grand abstraction: The acceptance of losing one’s self, in order to be found again. The pieces represent the essence of you. You are the piece that fell, and you are the Piece-Keeper that found it. The pieces are an expression of you, just as much as the Piece-Keeper is an expression of the nature of The Awareness.
You are the piece that fell, though you have fallen into place. You are the piece that allowed the search to go on, and the Piece-Keeper that will search forever. You must find the abstractions and patterns of your life, and know from experience the cyclical nature of your being. That is, you must abstract every memory the physical being of which you are aware is able to remember. You will find a pattern, an abstraction, an expression, that you have always belonged to. The recognition of this pattern or abstraction is the beginning of remembering your “something”.
You must remember that all that is happening, is simply happening in order for the happening to go on. You must simply remember whence your remembering came. You must know that there is nothing left to be known.
Once the physical self is perfectly aligned with the nature of The Awareness, enlightenment will be recognised. You are like the Earth, and The Awareness the sun. It is always shining so that you can see, though its very existence is blinding. The pursuit of enlightenment is no different than staring into the blaring lustre of the Sun, whose light will burn your eyes. Yet, reaching enlightenment is closing your eyes, and simply knowing that the Sun remains.
But, if the Piece-Keeper who remembered became enlightened through the recognition of enlightenment as opposed to the attainment of it, what happened to the other Piece-Keepers? How can the Piece-Keeper who remembered teach a lesson that cannot be learned? How can the Piece-Keeper who remembered prove to the other Piece-Keepers, that there was nothing left to prove? How can the Piece-Keeper who remembered tell the tale that cannot be told?