Pearl, Crimson, and Midnight

Welcome to the Jade Cove, the young monk stated as three young travelers entered. Bowing as he greeted them. "I take it, you are here to converse with master?"

The traveler dressed in white smiled. Not saying a word and waiting as if there was more, the one in red smirked and waited. The one dressed in black gave nothing to signify any intent, but looked difficult to approach for the young monk.

As the young monk waited for a reply, a raspy female voice approached from under the hooded red robe. "Monk how long have you practiced cultivating yourself. Do you know who we are?"

The monk answer the raspy voice carefully choosing his words. "Many years it seems, wise one, but time is but a fleeting entity for those on cultivating paths. As for knowing you, I have not experienced what you represent but I do know of you. With your permission you are Pearl, Crimson, and Midnight."

"Gather the monks, we are here to talk to all form the cove. We will meet at the Jade Chair you carved," came a whisper from the black hooded robe.

As the monks gather the master sat in the chair and greeted all the monks, "Today we have some great guest, please understand what each of them say means the Dao may look a little different after today, but embrace these travelers and meditate upon what they say." The Master got up and moved over to the travelers and started to sit in lotus style as the white robed traveler made their way to the chair.

Taking time and sitting on the chair, admiring the intricate carving, the figure removed the hood, to display a young, beautiful female with blonde hair. Taking time to choose the words to start off with, she breathed in slowly and released the breathe in twice the amount of time it took to inhale. The massive chi the traveler built in one breath took the new monks by surprise. The young apprentice however, was not after meeting truth and lie, he become used to abnormal things coming to the cove.

"My name is Pearl, and I would like you to take time in absorbing my words, like it took time to carve this chair. Take the words and make it part of you the same that this chair is part of the one that carved it," as she looked at the apprentice. "The craftsman that carved this chair put a lot of time, love, and life into this chair."

Her voice was soft and caring about the things that were said. Genuine in the statements of admiration of the detail."We three traveler will seem to be contradictions of each other, I challenge you monks to make a connection on how the three of us are the same, yet different. Remember my sisters and I all value life, though once all is said you may question that at times."

"I love life and I bring the breath in the morning to those who wake up. When you are content in the morning on drawing a breath that is my role in your day. I bring energy and drive your goals in your progression through existence. I am here to tell you today that I value that existence and I will do my best to walk with you through all matters, however there are some places I can not go, and that is where my sisters come to walk with you," as Pearl started to stand, she glanced at the apprentice to see the response.

The apprentice after seeing so many things in the cove, glanced back and smiled slightly, trying to keep his composure. This is a lesson, he thought, more for the others, but value is still here in this lesson even for those of master levels.

The next to approach the chair was the red robed traveler, as she approached the chair, she touched the chair in places that were difficult in the carving. The apprentice noticed each spot she touched. Sitting she removed the hood. Red hair as red as fire, and a beautiful young face, but one that you know was beyond time. "I am crimson, I too value life," said the raspy voice. "I, unlike my sister, I think your day needs a little challenge, a little difficulty to measure your convictions if you will."

"I walk behind you and Pearl, however when I catch up and pass you, I set up a challenge for you to go through. I am the prankster of your life if you will. I bring blood, sweat and tears. I never wish for life to end, but I can not allow it to be meaningless and unchallenged as well. If you are doing something I may make it difficult enough to draw blood. I am the one the can see your true merit in life," as the raspy voiced woman stood and touched the chair once more, bowed and walked over to her sisters and the master."

The dark robed sister approached she looked at the apprentice. The apprentice knowing what she was understood and nodded in understanding about the chair. Removing the hood she sat down, with black hair flowing around the white jade chair. "I am called Midnight. I too value life, and I value the cycle of such a thing. I bring you pain and hardships. I bring you death, sadness, anger, and grief. While one one may think of these things as something of a bad thing in life, one must remember there is a cycle, an order, and a law that all things must obey," as she whispered out.

"Life is precious, and there will be times I walk with you, to have you keep your emotions, your perspective, and your ideas alive." Midnight leaned into the crowd, "and you know what one thinks is evil, or deplorable, can sometimes be mistaken as refusal of understanding their perspective. Life and Death what a contradiction of terms, however both go hand and hand in our daily routines, yet evil is never present in these concepts."

The apprentice looked over at the master as Midnight sat down, and he glanced at the apprentice in a a manner of telling the young monks some thoughts. As he approached the chair it hit him, that all three mentioned his carving.

As the apprentice walked up to the chair, he looked at it lovingly, and flinched at the section crimson pointed out, then frowning with the words of Midnight touching him. As he sat in the chair for the first time in a long time he contemplated the words.

"During our daily lives we have energy, ambitions or goals for the day, Pearl talks about walking with us and valuing life, but life is a circle. One thinks they should live a full life, or live to an old age. Pearl walks with us as life walks with us, Pearl represents our dreams, our goals, and our drive through our lives. She is the entity that all people look upon with the concept of entitlement." The apprentice paused to consider his words a moment, looking over at Pearl, he stood up and bowed to her. "For being the representative of life I bow to you mistress. Without this concept we would not be here."

As the apprentice touched the spots in the chair that Crimson touched, he sat back down and started again. "This chair is special to me. Not that it ended up being a beautiful carved chair, but because many sections were difficult, and some even drew blood. When one goes through a difficult time and comes out on the other side triumphant then the strength that is obtained is great, and if in creating an item, then the item becomes even more grand. Even if it brings blood and lose, living through a time when pain and difficulty comes is the a great way to measure ones merit, convictions, and dedications." The apprentice stood up and bowed to Crimson, "before today I never realized that I met you and for this I apologize, I know you like a dear old friend from birth and will never forget to embrace you, when we meet, for you are the blood, and pain we need to grow and cultivate in true form."

Before sitting down again he turned to the chair and sighed a long sigh. Before sitting down he looked upon Midnight, "I am sorry to you as well Midnight, for I have met you many times as well. I understand now, what and who you are, for this I thank you for coming to our cove and blessing us with your presence." As he sat down, he looked upon the young monks and started to bring to light he revelation of the words.

"This chair in time will become dust, and will not exist. The beauty and the pain put into making this art will be lost to all but those who have seen it, or captured it's image to share. One may state, that it is only a chair, and time takes all things. While this is true, one must also practice the Dao in full, for life is a circle, and all things eventually turn to dust in this physical world. The Dao is neither light or dark but a balance. While we all love and respect life, we must love and accept death as well. Each of us express our way of handling death in their own way. Society outside the cove may try to convince people to feel sorry or pity the loss of life, however is that doing the circle of life any justice? If you pity a death of someone is that doing their memory justice. What about the lives they touched while alive? Can you do anything when feeling sorry for them, when upset about their lose of life? Can you do more if you accept it is what it is, and continue on a path that allows them to live on through you? This chair is an inanimate item, one things with no life, however it has my energy and my life in it. When it fades no one looks and states poor chair, perhaps the creator of the chair will look upon it and marvel at the time it took to go, or the things it accomplished. Why can we do this for an supposed inanimate object but not the life of our kin. Why does society put so much negative on death, and ashes that it is considered vile, evil, too soon, or feel sorry about that portion of the circle. Instead of keeping them alive with memories and stories and making a portion of that person immortal through the blood lines." The apprentice stood up and bowed to all three sisters. "We appreciate you in our lives Sisters of the Circle of Life.