Intensely touched by my voyage to the netherworld (see ‘People’s Limbo’, scene 5, The graveyard), I now feel that my duty as knight-errant of RMB City has become even more precious and needed by my fellow citizens: I’ve experienced Christian mysticism in front of the Golden Virgin Mary, I’ve underwent a session of purifying and enlightening Chinese acupuncture and I’ve finally met my destiny in the reign of the dead.
At this point, after my long wanderings, my fate brings me to the next stage of my journey and I magically fly towards People’s Temple (“People’s Limbo 6”, the golden bodhisattva, RMB City 3 186, 50, 60 (Mature) – RMB City 3).
Here, opposite to a gigantic Buddha statue in a supermarket cart (the strange Chinese union of mysticism and consumerism) I sit on a comfortable floating cushion and plunge into a deep state of unconsciousness and meditation,…and I breathe and relax, unwind and repose…
“Get rid of all your useless novels!” a profound and fresh voice suddenly whispers;
“Who’s speaking? And how dare you interrupt my musing?” I immediately answer…
“That’s how my dear friend Govinda reacted, too, but you have to trust me: the long path towards understanding and Nirvana doesn’t follow the worldly logic of carnal pleasures and intellectual sophistry but is instead patiently reached through experience and spirituality, I’m “he who has attained his goals”, nice to meet you knight errant of RMB City”
“Dear friend, my path towards salvation is closer to your ideals than you may think: I’ve already forsaken all my dear books and decided instead to become part of a bigger novel and experience life. And here I am, wandering through a new, unknown world, trying to redeem myself from my sins and undergo a new level of life and experience. What do you think of this second world?”
“There is no thing in this world I know less about than about me, about Siddhartha! I’ve spent my whole life in this statue, musing on my self and waiting for answers…”
“This world may be a mirror of your old world and can help you to see things from a different perspective but you should experience it more…live this city with me: you will be my shadow-guide and I will follow your whispered words of wisdom. Are you ready to cross our destinies?”
He just takes my hand and we fly towards our next destination, together.
