Текст книги "Sensei of Shambala"

Meanwhile, the line moved ahead. In front of the crowd someone came out in a white smock. I was so surprised that my bag almost slipped out of my hands.

“Sensei,” I silently whispered, but in the next instant yelled at top of my voice, “Sens…oops, Igor Mikhailovich!!!”

Sensei turned around and, on seeing me, gave a sign to come up. I barely squeezed through the crowd. My heart was beating fast in my chest. Having greeted me, he asked, “Why are you here? What happened?”

“Well, my mother has problems with her back…”

We moved off to a corner, where Igor Mikhailovich lit a cigarette.

“My father’s general gave us this address,” I let out all the ‘state secrets’ in a single breath. “He even gave us his Volga.”

Sensei glanced at the cars.

“Ah, Alexander Vasilievich. How’s he doing?”

“Well, as he said to my dad, he has had no problems with motion for two years.”

“Alright. And what happened to your mother?”

I began telling everything in detail, actively gesticulating with my hands from excitement. Having listened to me, Sensei uttered, “Alright, take your mum and follow me.”

I ran up to my mum with joy and said that Igor Mikhailovich will take us out of order. My mother was happy, of course, but she was very surprised.

She got up with difficulty, and we returned with her to the chiropractor.

“This is my Sensei, Igor Mikhailovich,” I introduced him to my mother with indescribable pride.

We walked deep into the house, filled with people waiting. In the waiting room stood a trestle-bed, and in the corner there was a small icon with a lit lamp. I helped mother undress to the waist and lie down on the trestle-bed. Walking out of the room, I saw how Igor Mikhailovich inclined above mother’s back, palpating her vertebrae with his hands. Already behind the curtain in the neighboring room, I heard Sensei’s voice, “Yes, you know, here is a serious problem, a dorsolateral prolapse up to seven millimeters in segment L4–L5 that’s causing stenosis of the intervertebral foramen. As a consequence, it leads to a compression of the spinal root.”

“Can you explain it more simply?”

“Simply saying, it’s a disk herniation. As a result of the destruction of the disk, its sequestrum, in other words, small pieces of this disk, dropped into the spinal canal towards the spinal foramen and are pushing on the spinal root. That’s what caused these pains… This is of course a serious problem, but curable.”

Behind the thick curtain, I heard a light crackling of vertebrae and a few unusual claps. In a few minutes, Sensei called me so that I could help my mother get dressed. Having agreed on the next visit, we bid farewell and slowly walked towards the car.

“How are you?” I asked my mother.

“It’s all right,” she replied.

When we were driving home, the entire way I couldn’t calm down, thinking about Sensei. I considered him everything: physicist, chemist, philosopher, historian, orientalist, physiologist. But an ordinary chiropractor, that was too much! Well, not ordinary, but pretty famous… And still, with his inconceivable potential of knowledge, with his phenomenal abilities and, in the end, with such unusually pure human morals, he could become a prominent scientist, politician, or whoever, moving up the ranks of society with his level of knowledge. But what is he spending his potential on?! If it weren’t for his help to my mother, my mind would have kept rebelling longer.

Driving out of this god-forsaken place by back roads, we drove past a shabby, half tumbledown church, evidently built before the revolution. My thoughts switched to thinking about the eternal, about God, about faith, about the Great. And suddenly a thought flashed across my mind, “Sensei really helps people! With his hands he cures thousands of bodies tormented by pain, thousands of souls seized by sorrow, restoring people’s health, faith, and joy of life… God, that’s how all the Great acted! Each of them went to people with an open soul and performed good deeds. Sensei one time mentioned about… Can it be that he…? Oho!”

I feverishly began remembering all the moments, supporting my guesses. After coming back home, I reread in my diary everything concerning Sensei’s personality. Yes, the fact that he is a chiropractor supplemented the main missing link in my logical chain in proving it to my own mind. “It is most important that he cures the bodies and souls of different people. Consequently, speaking with such a huge number of people, each of them with his concrete destiny, problem, and pain, he knows much better than all politicians the intentions of the common people, their attitude towards life, as well as their spiritual level of development. It’s not possible to imagine any better profession for the earthly life of a Bodhisattva.” These discoveries caused a wave of small ants on my skin while my solar plexus began tickling with its spiral waves.

As soon as my agitated thoughts began to calm down, my common sense hurried to take up the vacant place. On the other hand, I thought, “Why did I exalt him so much? Maybe all this is just my imagination. I got tired, worried too much, had heard in line the different conversations, and have made hasty, fantastic conclusions. Alright, he helps people, he has a talent for this and abilities, so what? Simply, he is a good professional, as that woman from the line said. That is all. By appearance he is a common man, with a common face that looks like all other human faces. His appearance does not differ from others. He is the same like everybody…”

And here I noticed that the deeper I developed my common sense theory, the more something bad appeared in me, some kind of anger or something, some kind of dark envy that Sensei possessed such talent and abilities and I didn’t. And here, my thoughts became so dark that I even got scared of myself, “Stop, stop, stop! Who is creating a tempest in a teapot? Comrades, it isn’t me! Can the soul really think so badly? No. It is kind by itself. Where did all this filth come from? It is not my opinion. Some kind of fixed ideas, thoughts which impudently keep coming back again and again, and they awaken in me anger and hate… These are the instincts of the animal nature!” And here I completely got angry with myself and thought, “I am fed up with them! For how long can I keep being a dumb, stubborn beast?! I’ve had enough, simply had enough. If I continue like that my whole life will pass in evil intentions and vanity…”

Then I was visited by another thought, “Maybe because of our blown-up egocentrism, we don’t notice what wonderful chances destiny grants us. And for the soul, wandering through the centuries in darkness, maybe, such a chance occurs only once in a thousand years. Who knows what we don’t see because of our envy and anger. God, why are we so blind? Why do we start really valuing something only when we lose it? Why do we praise the Great only after their death?”

Christ was crucified because of somebody’s blown-up megalomania and our gregarious egocentrism. And what a great man He was, how many good deeds for human souls He could’ve done. If He were alive and people opened up their hearts at least a little, maybe human civilization would’ve made such a jump in its evolution that we, their descendants, would already live in a real, united, free society, without borders and government, without violence and terror, in a world of harmony. But no, even during the life of Jesus few people really valued Him. But the majority, probably, were envious of Him, gloated and upbraided Him with their animal vanity, with rottenness, with hate and indifference. But after His death everybody started to believe in him right away!

Just take our contemporaries, the prominent individuals. When are they all being acknowledged? In general, after death. It is only after their deaths that people speak well about them, even those who, during their life, did many mean things. However, these people are probably glad in their private thoughts that their rival has died. That’s authentic animal nature.

When will we finally wake up, when will we be thinking with our souls and not our bodies? Because then the whole world will change and will become completely different! I just want to yell this to the entire world. But what for?! I shouldn’t yell but instead do something and change myself and not permit these parasites to enter into my consciousness or mind. Yes, if only this could be understood by the majority of people then, maybe, we could all learn together to value and respect those geniuses who are so rarely sent by nature to the world! As one great classic stated, “Mother Nature, if you didn’t send such people to the world, the field of life would’ve died.”

34

The next day, during our trip to the spiritual training, all the way I was telling the guys my great news that our Sensei is the famous chiropractor and what I had heard and seen while visiting him. For them it was also a big surprise. In our secret glade, almost everybody had already gathered. Sensei, having greeted us, politely asked me how my mother was doing.

“Thank you, a little better. She has strong pains still, of course. But at least she slept calmly last night.”

“This is good. That’s all right, she will slowly recover her health.”

I didn’t have a slight doubt about this. For the most part, I was very happy that everything turned out exactly this way. I could not wish a better doctor for my beloved mother. Now my soul was calm.

“And you know,” I continued, “I was so surprised to have seen you. I thought that chiropractic was only practiced by dilapidated old men and women.”

“Many people think this way.”

“Why is that so?”

“Because in chiropractic, real knowledge and experience comes with years, and that’s why most of us are older.”

I noticed that none of the senior guys, including Nikolai Andreevich, was at all surprised by the word “chiropractor.” They had probably known about this for a long time.

“Tell me,” I continued, looking with admiration into his eyes, “Can spinal diseases be cured with the help of faith?”

“Faith is capable of moving mountains, not just curing spinal problems. But few people have true faith.”

“Why?”

“Doubts gnaw, our animal nature suppresses. That’s why it is very hard for a human to acquire true faith. But for a soul dominating in the mind, it is very simple.”

“If a human simply blindly believes in his recovery or in the recovery of those close to him, will treatment be faster?”

“Of course. And not just faster, but a lot lighter and more efficient.”

“I apologize,” Nikolai Andreevich joined the conversation. “I have long wanted to ask you, why exactly did you choose this profession?”

“Well, what can I say?” answered Sensei. “Just like any man, when I needed to choose a profession, I began to think. You will agree with me, what can be better in the world than to restore people’s health, and what can be more complex in a body than the spinal cord, perhaps only the brain… What is the spinal cord? Take a look at a picture of its nerve plexuses it is a real tree of life that goes with its top to the brain and is connected with roots to every organ of the human body. Figuratively speaking, this tree of life nourishes the entire body with health. And if, God forbid, it has some kind of disorder, this immediately affects the work of organs and the entire body as a whole. Because practically more than ninety percent of all diseases appear as a result of the malfunctioning of the spinal cord, from the most insignificant to those that are fatal. Almost everybody has problems with his spine during his life… The spinal cord, for today, remains the mystery of mysteries in science. And it is, just like the brain, insufficiently investigated.”

“In general, yes,” uttered Nikolai Andre evich.

“Honestly saying, I never thought about this… But since it’s such an important and complex organ in the body, one needs to possess considerable knowledge to treat it.”

“That is indeed so. The spine is a very interesting, perfect biomechanical structure. Its treatment is a great responsibility because a doctor has to precisely diagnose the patient, considering information, age, weight, and a whole range of various factors, and then make the right decision and calculate the corresponding power and dose of impact because this is a sort of microsurgery, only without opening. The revitalization in the process of exploitation should be also taken into account. Chiropractic is a very serious profession. One needs to thoroughly know everything: biomechanics, anatomy, pathology, genesis, morphogenesis, physics, and chemistry of the cell. To put it briefly, one should perfectly know vertebrology.”

“What?” Ruslan asked. “What is this for… ‘brology’?”

“Not ‘brology,’ but ‘vertebrology,’” Sensei answered with a smile. “It is the science of the spinal column, which includes all those sciences plus specific knowledge about the spinal cord.”

“What kind of specific knowledge?” Nikolai Andreevich got interested.

“You also need to know the details and techniques of different manual ways of treating vertebral pathologies, osteopathy, chiropractic, and so forth. In other words, it’s necessary to know the experiences of previous generations in the area of chiropractic because it is a pretty ancient and interesting profession.” Sensei added, “And, of course, it means communication with a large number of different people.”

I don’t know about the others, but I clearly understood that Sensei’s last words were the main reason for choosing his profession. I was absolutely sure about it.

Meanwhile, Sensei changed the subject of our conversation to meditations. We started discussing our home results and then tried to work intensively on ourselves, approaching with tiny steps our far-away cherished goal: to become human.

35

I noticed that the days started flying by, as if in one instant. I felt that I did not have enough time for everything. I even stopped visiting a few hobby groups so that at least, somehow, I could manage to do everything. Our exercises and trainings continued to gladden me with their novelty and uniqueness. At one of the trainings, Sensei began explaining a new subject.

“Today we’ll study and, as usual, partially will learn the style of Tai Qi Quan, considered to be from the soft style of Wushu. This style originated in one of the most famous monasteries of China, located in the Wudangshan mountains. It is noteworthy that the local mountains used to be called the Mountains of Great Stillness. But then a man, whose name was Zhen Wu, flew to heaven having reached Dao (which in Daoism is considered to be the internal divine power and primordial substance that created everything in the Universe). The mountains were renamed in his honor.

“According to one of the legends, a monk named Zhan Sanfeng lived in that monastery in the twelfth century. One day, hearing an odd sound in the yard, he looked out of the window. The monk saw a crow sitting on the tree and a snake on the ground, both looking at each other. Each time, as soon as the crow flew out of the tree to attack the snake, the snake would quickly turn its head and would curve in such a way that the crow wouldn’t be able to peck it. While observing them, Zhan had an insight: an opponent can be defeated by dodging attacks.

“According to another legend, he received this wise hint from Zhan Wu in a dream. As the proverb says, ‘A saint said, a wise man understood.’ Having perceived the main principle of martial art, Zhan Sanfeng, after many years of training, developed the soft style, which received the name Supreme Ultimate (Tai Qi Quan). To translate it literally, ‘tai’ means supreme, ‘qi’ means ultimate, and ‘quan’ means fist.

“According to another version, the development of this style is ascribed to another Zhan Sanfeng from Wudang who lived in the fourteenth century, a disciple of the famous master Ho Lung (Fiery Dragon). Of course, there are other legendary versions of the origin of this style. But the main principle of Tai Qi Quan didn’t change and is stated in the following principles: Statics begets dynamics; the pliable overcomes the rigid; the slow defeats the fast; the short defeats the long. In other words, for example, you should respond to the sharp attacking movement of your opponent with soft pliancy, in this way amortizing the strike by letting it pass into emptiness. As a result, the opponent loses balance. And then a few grams are enough to overcome the power of a ton. The ancient writings of the masters of Tai Qi Quan say about this style, ‘Little movements lead to big changes. The pliable overcomes the rigid: make use of power of your opponent; attack suddenly, affecting points.’

“Tai Qi Quan is similar to a smooth dance. At the highest level of mastery of this style, there are no fixed movements or complexes, only the major principles remain. The body moves as if on its own, performing in dynamic meditation an undefined peculiar dance.

“But to reach something big, one needs to start with something small. That’s why we’ll start with the simplest exercise, pushing hands. It is done in pairs. Here, it is necessary to slightly touch with the hands, softly, taking turns to push each other, for the beginners under the known trajectory of movement, and for the more experienced, arbitrarily. This exercise develops reaction to the actions of the opponent by foreseeing his intentions. In other words, by ‘listening’ to where he wants to move, you should attempt to trick him by breaking free from his ‘stuck’ hands. With the inaccurate movement of your opponent, for example, if he moves roughly or loses balance, you, with a light push, can cast him to the ground. Movements should be relaxed, but the consciousness stays vigilant. Also I’ll show you the corresponding complex of breathing.

“These and the following exercises can be used as health-improving gymnastics. Especially for medical goals, Tai Qi Quan is helpful to people who are in a constant nervous stress because these smooth movements with even speed align potentials in the cerebral cortex, protecting it from overload. Moreover, the concentration of thought on movements distracts man from everyday problems, restoring his nervous system. And, of course, gymnastics trains all joints and ligaments. It is helpful for everybody. So, coming back home, you can show it to your mums and dads, grandmas and grandpas, so that they will never be sick.

“I want to draw your particular attention to the fact that the ancient masters of the Tai Qi Quan gymnastics insistently demanded from their disciples ‘purification, stillness, absence of wrong actions, preservation of purity of heart, restraint in their desires.’ In this way, a human not only will defeat his diseases but also will destroy his ego, thus clearing a path to the perfection of the spirit. They were strongly convinced that Heaven sees the ‘de’ (spirituality, love) of man and that, based on his ‘de,’ he gets a reward. The wisdom of the masters that reached us from the depths of centuries is relevant today. Each one of us can use this knowledge to the maximum, and not just for self-defense, but also for the opening of his own internal world, for the perception of the mysteries of nature and the universe. You always need to remember that a human can achieve anything if the goal is clearly defined. Now let’s proceed to the practical part.”

We lined up, and the Teacher showed us the breathing exercises for ‘stuck hands.’ After individual demonstrations of the techniques by Sensei, almost everybody in a few seconds landed on his back hearing the laughter of his friends, who found themselves in the same position a few minutes later. More serious fighters, using the wrong techniques, were flying away as many as three to four meters. Most interesting is that during the first ten minutes we laughed, but in twenty minutes we were rising up slowly, groaning. After half an hour of more engaged, serious work, we completely concentrated on the movement and accuracy of our performance. Nobody wanted to be seen as a clown by excessively falling.

The speedy guys, including Stas and Eugene, worked especially beautifully. Evidently they had practiced this art for a long time. Their completely nonrecurring, improvised movements were similar to a grandiose dance, full of unpredictable and at the same time rational movements. And if one of them made a mistake, then immediately he flew far away, knocking down a lot of people on the way. In order not to harm other people, these guys were moved to the end of the hall, almost to the exit. But even here, Eugene and Stas surpassed themselves. Working at sparring, Eugene for one second got distracted by the opening door and right away received a powerful blow from Stas, which not only threw him into that unfortunate door, but also placed him before the exit on his knees. At that time, an imposing man of indefinable age, with a stately face similar to that of Ramses, entered the hall. Some kind of fine eastern aroma wafted from him. He was dressed in a stylish coat under which an expensive suit could be seen. “Ramses” looked at Eugene with surprise. But Eugene quickly composed himself and, touching the floor with his forehead, ritually uttered, “Oh, we welcome you, great Zhan Wu, the most desirable guest of our tribe!”

Eugene quickly jumped back on his feet and, bowing to the gentleman one more time like a fighter, turned around and went toward Stas, who could hardly control his laughter.

Sensei, with a smile, came up and greeted the man.

“For how long did he practice this form of greeting?” asked “Ramses” with a strong accent, in broken Russian.

“Don’t get mad at him. He is young and always confused.”

“Ramses” was surprised even more and asked with a slight resentment in his voice, “Do I really look like Chinese?”

“No, of course, but…,” Sensei continued in some unusual language.

“Ramses” laughed and added something in reply. Speaking in this melodious and very pleasant language, they went into the private room for coaches. I noticed that the guest walked the same way as Sensei.

As soon as the doors shut behind them, Stas couldn’t keep it in and laughed aloud, immediately receiving in return a punch from Eugene. Having fallen with a rumble on the benches, he couldn’t stand up for five whole minutes, rolling from his laughter attack. They might have kept laughing like that until the end of training, but the senior sempai, who was responsible for discipline in Sensei’s absence, showed them a fist, and the guys quickly hushed up and got back to work.

I was bursting with curiosity to find out who that mysterious guest was. But my attempts to ask the senior guys weren’t successful. They let me know that they don’t interfere in Sensei’s business.

In thirty minutes, closer to the end of training, “Ramses” and Sensei came out of the room, confirming something on the way with a smile. They bid farewell as old, good friends, warmly shaking each other’s hands. After the departure of the mysterious guest, Sensei, with the same ease, switched back to Russian and, as if nothing had happened, started explaining the guys’ mistakes he’d seen. His mood was clearly raised.

At home I wrote down, as always, the most interesting things in my diary. The visit of this unusual foreigner raised in me many unanswered questions. I decided to leave this mystery to an undetermined later. As Sensei would say, “There is nothing mysterious on Earth that one day won’t be revealed.” With such an optimistic forecast of the future, I continued to be an observer.