Searching for the Truth

The sun burned mercilessly that morning. Hakim sat under one of the few trees that gave a bit of shade and looked at the goats he had to herd. Normally he would not think about his life at all, but would just get up every day, wash his face, get dressed and take the goats out. But today was different. Today he got up and felt that something big was going to happen. He could not put his finger on it, but he knew for sure that it would change his life completely…

Ahmed struggled up the hill. With the inexorable sun burning his back, he breathed heavily. The wind in his face was almost as hot as the sand beneath his feet and with his age it was difficult to bear. But he made himself climb higher and higher. He had to reach his grandson; for there was something important he had to tell him. His beard blew in his face and he leaned heavily on his stick. When Ahmed finally got up the hill, he saw his grandson sitting under a tree, overlooking the valley where the goats slowly moved or slept on the ground. Ahmed raised his arms widely. The sleeves of his robe flared in the wind. With a strong voice for such an old man he shouted: “Hakim Bayoumi al Skeikh, get up and listen to me carefully!” Hakim jumped up. In front of him stood… what was it. An Angel ? Hakim could see his wings. The sun behind the Angel put him in a golden light and the wind blew through his hair. Hakim fell down on his knees and respectfully bowed his head. “I am Hakim Bayoumi al Sheikh, oh Angel and I will listen carefully to every word you have for me and will obey to every assignment you feel I am worthy of.” Ahmed silently laughed. Clearly Hakim thought he was an Angel. It probably had something to do with the sun at his back and the wind blowing through his clothes. Well, for what he had to tell him this could not hurt and might even help the boy in the end.

“Hakim, I have spoken to your parents and you are instructed to leave your parents and goats behind. I order you to stand up and leave and you are only allowed to return if you have found the answer to the greatest secret! This is my command: leave and only return if you have found the answer to the greatest secret. You are not to say goodbye, but have to leave at once. Your parents have been instructed to pick up the goats later.

Before you leave, close your eyes and hold your hands together in front of you, the palms touching each other and I will give you a gift from the Universe that will help you on your quest. When I have finished you will wait a while before you will open your eyes and go on your way.”

Hakim did as instructed. He closed his eyes and held his hands upright. He heard the Angel mumble some words and felt that the Angel held his hands (an Angel had actually touched him!) and all of a sudden Hakim felt a strong wind blowing on the top of his head and at that very point he saw the most fantastic colours behind his eyes. Again the wind blew on the top of his head and Hakim saw all sorts of symbols he could not understand. A third time the wind blew and Hakim saw a fantastic white light behind his eyes. He felt an enormous flow of energy going through him. Then the Angel opened his hands and Hakim felt three times three taps at the palm of his hand palms. His hand palms began to tingle when the Angel closed them again. Then Hakim felt a vast wind blow that started at his crotch and went all the way up to his forehead. The Angel spoke: “You are now ready to commence your journey.” Good luck my son. After he spoke his words Ahmed turned around and quickly walked down hill, leaving a completely puzzled boy behind.

Hakim was not sure what had happened and if he had heard the words right, but he was too afraid to either ask or lift his head. He sat silent for many minutes, he looked up and the Angel had gone. Neither sign, nor sound of him anywhere anymore; only the heat of the sun and the sound of the wind and a strong tingling in his hands. Did he hear the Angel correctly? He had to leave everything behind him straight away and look for the answer to…the greatest… secret? How can one find the answer to the greatest secret? What was the greatest secret? Hakim was not a boy that told lies, yes a white lie every now and then, but nothing serious and now he was ordered to go and search for the answer to the greatest secret! And what was the gift the Angel had given him? Despite the hot sun Hakim shivered and wrapped his arms around him. A strong warm flow of energy came from his hands and Hakim immediately calmed down. His first thought was that it all had been a dream or that he suffered from a sun stroke, but the encounter with the Angel, together with his feeling earlier this morning and the strong sensation of energy through his hands made Hakim decide to take up the challenge. He would not walk in the direction of his parent’s house, but chose to go down the only road he never had taken before. He waved at the goats, said a little prayer that God would keep his parents and his grandfather safe and started walking.

At first a strange feeling came over Hakim. He left everything behind (well apart from his water flask and his lunch of course…) and here he was walking a road he had never walked before in his life with a mission to find the biggest secret. He did not meet anyone and just kept on walking. When the sun had already passed its highest point and was preparing itself to go under, Hakim saw a little village in the distance across an enormous river. Hakim had never heard of nor seen a river that size. Across the river there was a long bridge. A huge bridge! One of a kind that if you would see it your mouth would fall open, and you would be very very impressed! There was something funny about this bridge though. In order to cross it you would have to go through a large gate and… that gate was closed. When coming closer to the gate of the bridge Hakim saw the following words that were engraved in an enormous sign hanging above the gate: “Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen”. And not only that, but there was also a picture of a symbol as well. Hakim held his breath for a moment. It was one of the symbols he had seen when the Angel had given him the gift earlier that day.

There was nobody in sight though. Even from a distance Hakim had only seen the houses of the village, but no villagers, no animals. No living being. Being hungry and tired as he was at the end of the day and after having walked so many miles, Hakim sighed and thought what to do next. He read the words of the sign out loud. Nothing happened. Again. Nothing happened. Then he looked at the sign and noticed that there were little arrows and numbers. “Hang on a minute, …” Hakim mumbled and while he, with his right hand, drew the lines of the symbol as stated by the arrows on his left hand, he said very concentrated, not to miss one single stroke or to do one stroke wrongly “Hon….Sha…Ze…Sho…Nen”. Immediately his hands tingled and got very warm. At the same time the enormous gate right in front of him opened, smoothly, without a sound. On the other side of the bridge Hakim now could see that there certainly were people and animals walking around. He could not only see them, but he could hear them talking and laughing and singing as well. He cheerfully crossed the bridge and all the people that he saw smiled kindly at him and welcomed him to their village. An older woman waved at him and invited him to her house. She introduced herself as Noriko. “You did well today, young Master Hakim.” she told him. ”You are on the right track. Now come and refresh yourself, eat and sleep. Tomorrow will be the next first day of a new life.”

The next morning Hakim woke up refreshed after a night full of the strangest but beautiful dreams. He got up, washed himself and just when he was going to find something to eat he heard the sound of many people singing and chanting. Being curious to what was going on he went outside. The sound seemed to come from a large building just at the end of the street. There were no windows in the structure, but once Hakim went through the open door he found that the hall and the corridor – which lead to a huge round arena – were light and fresh as if there were no walls nor roof at all. The sound of singing and chanting people grew louder and louder as Hakim walked towards the arena. Once he entered the arena he saw hundreds of people sitting and standing around a person who floated two feet off the ground. Hakim could not believe his eyes. He looked at the back of this floating person and heard the crowd cheering his name! Slowly the person turned around and Hakim looked in his own face. He could not hear the crowd cheering anymore, he could only see the eyes of the boy before him. Hakim was looking in his own eyes, as if he was looking in a mirror. Suddenly all the people were gone and the image of the person floating was gone as well. Instead Noriko stood in front of him. She smiled and asked: “Was it the truth you saw, or was it a vision, Hakim?” Hakim could not speak, he was totally confused. Was what he had seen a vision? But he heard the voices, he saw the people, he could nearly touch the person floating in the centre of the arena. The boy, growing to be a man was puzzled the rest of the day. Many days passed. Hakim had noticed that whenever he laid his hands on his body, the strange flow of energy through his hands would immediately become active. He kind of liked the soothing warmth of the energy floating through his hands, so he decided to lay his hands on his body whenever he got the chance. In any case every night before he went to sleep and whenever he thought about it during the day. He also noticed that he slowly but surely became more sensitive of the people around him. He did not forget his mission, his quest though, so one evening when Noriko and he sat at the table after dinner, he asked “Lady Noriko, can I ask you a question?” Noriko nodded and replied “Of course, young Master Hakim. It will be my pleasure to answer you to the best of my abilities.” “Lady Noriko, can you please tell me, what is the biggest secret?” Noriko smiled a mysterious smile. “If I would tell you, would it be a secret still..? Let me give you a hint though. You will not find it outside.” Hakim wanted to ask a lot of new questions, but Noriko’s answer made his lips, tongue and voice refuse any command from his brain. His hands started to glow though and his heart started pounding as if he just had run up hill. He stayed silent for a while and than Hakim made a decision. “Lady Noriko, you have been kinder to me than any person ever was, but I fear that I must leave you tomorrow.” Again Noriko smiled her sweet understanding smile. “Yes, young Master Hakim, it is time that you take the next step. It is a wise decision and you leave me happy that I was allowed to have been a part of the puzzle that you call your life.” Noriko held her hands upright in front of her, the palms touching each other. She bowed slightly towards Hakim “Gassho, young Master Hakim” Almost automatically Hakim returned the gesture, his hands in upright prayer position in front of him, slightly bowing he replied: “Gassho, Lady Noriko, and thank you for your precious gift of wisdom.” The next day, when the sun was still sleepy, Hakim left the little village to meet his next adventure.

He walked for several days and during these days Hakim thought about how his life had changed since the Angel told him to go on his quest for the biggest secret. Every night before he went to sleep he would put his hands on his body and feel the pleasant energy going through him. This morning he got up early and felt a tingle in his fingers. Something was going to happen for sure today. And indeed, after a few hours of walking he saw a huge wall in the distance, reaching from one point of the horizon to the other. The wall was at least twenty feet high and there was no door, nor any window or hole in it. This looks like the end of the world Hakim thought. Would this be the biggest secret? Surely not, for everyone who ever had travelled here must have seen this wall. Besides, Noriko said that the biggest secret was not to be found outside. I must find a way to get over it, Hakim thought, but how? There was no rope in sight, no stairs, no large branches, no stones to break the wall down or climb over it. I cannot get around it. I will never make it, it is impossible. This is where my quest ends for sure. No! I am on a mission, a quest, a direct order from an Angel to find the biggest secret and I will find it! If I cannot go around it, or over it I want to, must and will go through it. That is the only way! Acting with a mixture of despair and determination he pushed hard against the wall with his shoulder as if it was a door that he had to break open. To his utmost astonishment the wall felt like an enormous pack of butter. He pushed more and more and slowly entered the wall with his entire body. Slowly entering the wall he walked on and on. Behind him the wall closed again, leaving him only about three feet of space. It was dark and stuffy inside the wall, but Hakim kept on pushing and taking more steps. After a few minutes he grew tired and even more tired. I will never make it, Hakim thought and instantly he got stuck. The wall would not budge anymore and felt like granite, no matter how hard he pushed. This cannot be, Hakim thought. Here I am, closed in a wall. Nobody can hear me, because nobody is there to hear me. He started crying out of despair and did not notice that the more sorry he felt for himself, the more the wall would close in on him. When he felt the hard granite like material touching his back, he got angry. I want to, must and will go through it, Hakim thought and at that point as clearly as you can see or hear these words, the young Master – as Noriko would call him – saw a strange symbol in his mind and he heard three words: Se He Ki. Out loud he repeated the words as he heard them “Se He Ki”. Nothing happened. Again: “Se He Ki.” Again nothing happened. Now Hakim remembered that when he saw the Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen symbol, he drew the symbol with his hands. The third time he said the words out loud, he drew the symbol on the wall, with two hands, just to make sure. “Se He Ki.” His hands started to glow and became warm, warmer than before. The wall gave in and the structure was even softer than butter. More like jelly. Hakim’s hands melted the wall as he pushed and pushed. After a while he saw light coming through the jellylike material and not long after that he stood outside again.

Something had changed though. Hakim had changed. When coming out of the wall, he had grown stronger and taller, he could see more straight, hear clearer, sense the living beings around him. And not only that, Hakim felt that he had changed drastically inside of him. His emotions were… how to call it… more mature. It was like by going through the wall he had grown to become a man! Completely flabbergasted and confused he sat on a large stone. From his flask he poured some water in his hand and splashed it in his face. When he looked up again he saw a thin older man standing in front of him. “Good evening young Master. My name is Daisuke. I am so happy that you made it. But come, come, let us go to my house. You will be my guest and have a nice hot bath and you can eat and change your clothes and sleep.” Hakim stood up and followed the older man. Involuntarily he looked over his shoulder to see the wall for the last time, but it was no longer there! “Was it the truth you saw, or was it a vision, Hakim?” Daisuke asked. Hakim noticed that the old man knew his name, but said nothing about it. He simply answered: “It was my truth.” Daisuke smiled and nodded and lead the way to his house, which was comfortable, light and warm. A hot bath was waiting for Hakim and Daisuke told him that first he would take a bath and eat and rest and when he was up to it, they would talk and Hakim could ask him anything and everything. Two days passed. After his bath and an exquisite dressy meal, Hakim slept nearly a day and a half before he woke up. Beside his bed, there were new and fresh clothes, that suited him perfectly. When he entered the porch, Daisuke greeted him and invited him to sit next to him, enjoying the view and the changing colours of the setting sun. “Master Daisuke, I am grateful for your most kind gifts and wonder what I did to deserve the honour of sharing your house and your company. Daisuke smiled. “Because you are unconditionally welcome, young Master. Come, do me the honour of telling me your biggest query.” “I struggle with myself, Master Daisuke. So many things happen so soon after one another, and it is challenging to keep up.” “Did the symbols not help you?” “Yes, Master, they did. More than I can say. They have opened a completely new world, of sensitivity, growth, insight, thoughts and emotions, but they did not answer the question that has been put in my mind by an Angel.” “An Angel?” Daisuke laughed so loud that his whole body shook and it took him quite some time to regain himself. “Was it the truth you saw, or was it a vision, young Master Hakim?” And again the older man laughed out loud. “Come, there is something I want to show you. Daisuke lead Hakim to a small room, where apart from a large table there was no furniture. On the table there was a large paper roll. Daisuke opened the roll and asked Hakim to read the words. Hakim read out loud:

“Just for today, I will not be angry.
  Just for today, I will not worry.
  Just for today, I will be grateful.
  Just for today, I will do my work honestly. 
  Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.”

The words resonated deep inside of Hakim. Not just the sound of the words, but their meaning. Hakim grasped the deeper meaning of the words and felt them filling his mind and soul, changing the energy patterns inside of him.

Rearranging his ideas, thoughts, emotions. He clearly understood how simple the words were, and yet how enormously difficult it would be to live up to these rules. “Master Daisuke, is this the biggest secret?” Hakim asked. Daisuke only smiled and said “You are nearly there, Master Hakim. Only a few more steps to take up your mountain and you will reach the point of truth…” Then Daisuke held his hands in Gassho and bowed.

Hakim spent a week at Daisuke’s house, but he did not see the old man around at all. Every day Hakim tried to remember the lines he read and over and over again he felt the implications that they had. Not being angry makes you a kind person, but there are so many moments in a day that anger is peeping around the corner. Not worrying? Ever since the Angel came, Hakim worried about his assignment and how to find the answer to the biggest secret. Grateful he could do, although… there were a number of things he took for granted: food, water, cloths, love, safety. Was he really grateful for all the little things in life? Doing honest work…was that including all the white lies…? And, being kind to every living thing, did that include those nasty mosquitoes that were buzzing around his head at night..? Hakim had trouble to digest it all, but at the same time he felt that these rules (or were they guidelines) held an important way of looking at the world.

Another three weeks passed by and the only thing that gave away that Daisuke was present at all was fresh water, clean clothes and fresh food standing ready everyday. At the end of three months waiting, practicing the five rules and testing the symbols that Hakim had learned over time, he thought it was time to leave Daisuke. Since he hadn’t seen Daisuke for such a long time, but had enjoyed the hospitality of the old man, Hakim wrote a long and polite letter, in which he thanked his host for the wise lessons he taught him by letting him read the five rules. He carefully folded the letter and put it on the table, so that if Daisuke would come in, he would find it. With a last look around Hakim shut the door behind him and without looking back he walked up a long road. It seemed as if there was no end to the road, until he realised that it was not as much that the road was so long, but there was a huge mirror at the end of the road. A mirror so large that it spread from horizon to horizon and it reflected every step Hakim took in his life so far. The closer he came, the younger his mirror image appeared to become. When he finally stood right in front of the mirror, he saw a young child, standing firmly on two feet, relaxed, his face neutral with a little smile as if he had a little secret nobody knew about. The child was standing in an environment that symbolically reflected everything Hakim ever experienced, thought, felt, saw, heard or said. All his actions were reflected, all his hopes, dreams, fears, ideas, frustrations, every song in his heart, everyone he loved and missed, all the times he got angry and sad and cheerful and worried, everywhere he went and everyone he met. His total life was reflected in this mirror, with every little detail of it. But not only that. Hakim saw himself in a naked truth. There was no escaping from the image. It showed him as he was, with all his little masks, white lies and dark thoughts. He saw himself as he was and who he would become if he would not change his ways and thoughts and would not keep living up to the five rules. In a few seconds he oversaw his life as it would have been, if he had not left his goats. But was it the truth he saw, or a vision…? In a beautiful moment that seemed to last forever he learned everything there was to learn about himself and in relation to that he learned about every process and all the truth in this world and the next. The extremely powerful images, thoughts and emotions of truth overwhelmed him, entered the very depth of his soul and settled there. The experience was so powerful that he thought he would faint. In a flash two symbols came to mind, apart from the three that he had learned earlier on his journey the sound of the first symbol floated in his ears like Angels singing in a choir “Dai Ko Mio” and as a musical base line supporting this heavenly sound and grounding him firmly he could clearly hear the name of the second symbol “Raku”. In his minds eye he saw the two symbols as if they were written on a white sheet of paper:

Slowly, slightly hesitant Hakim first drew the three symbols Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen, Se He Ki and Cho Ku Rei before him in the air and named them all three, three times out loud. When he finished, he drew the symbol of Dai Ko Mio and the symbol of Raku and named them three times out loud as well. An overwhelming light came from the mirror straight to him, entered his crown and filled him completely. Hakim felt an enormous energy going through him. Felt the power of spiritual truth filling every cell of him as well as every thought and emotion. Completely filled with this intense feeling he fell down on his knees and looked his mirror image in the eye. He saw his face change into that of a young adult. His eyes were filled with knowledge. His heart was filled with love and compassion.

Then the mirror slowly disappeared. It dissolved into thin air. In its place Hakim saw Daisuke and Noriko standing in front of him; their hands folded in a Gassho posture and bowing in front of him. “Greetings Master Hakim. It is time to go home. You have fulfilled your task. You did well.” Noriko said. “Thank you Master Daisuke and Lady Noriko, for your wise lessons which were gratefully received. I will return home and will try to teach as many people as I can. My quest is over and although I am convinced that I will encounter many people and there will be more lessons to learn, this search has brought me the most precious gift: the answers to the greatest secret! My gratitude for you is never ending and I will use the lessons learned well.” He bowed, holding his hands in a Gassho position and when he raised Master Daisuke Lady Noriko were gone. Hakim smiled and followed his way home.

The sun burned mercilessly that morning. Ahmed sat under one of the few trees that gave a bit of shadow and looked at the goats he had to herd. After the departure of Hakim the old man took over the tasks of his grandson. Today would be different. Today he got up and felt that something big was going to happen. He could not put his finger on it, but he knew for sure that it would change his life completely…

Article by Johannes Verheijden, Reiki Master

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Johannes Verheijden (1965) has been Reiki Master since 1998. He has been working with energy for as long as he can remember and over the years Johannes specialized in healing emotional issues. Ever since he first got in touch with energy work Johannes resonated to it. It “spoke” to him and over the years he learned to channel the energy and to heal people emotionally by using energy, often in combination with massage, or aura reading/healing. Johannes is initiator of the World Reiki Wave, which will take place for the eighth time with thousands of Reiki practitioners joining on the 21^st of June. He is based in Zeewolde, the youngest village in The Netherlands. Johannes can be reached through Facebook by www.facebook.com/ReikiMasterJohannesVerheijden, or by e-mail: [email protected]