One late night or early morning when I was in too much pain to sleep or function, you stayed awake with me and showed me photographs of your travels, told me stories of the cultures you immersed yourself in, painted pictures in my mind of people and festivals.
The next night you knew I'd be in chat again, and you kept my mind off of a shitty shoulder for a few more hours.
We discussed your adventures in Southeast Asia, how it transformed your beliefs, changed your views on the world.
How you took away the ability to live fully and simply.
We talked about your family history.
We talked about politics.
We talked about mental health.
We talked about a lot.
Night after night was one more tiny bit of your world backpacking adventure.
One more story of STT.
One more piece of Joel.
The deva asked again saying:
"What is the thing that is not burnt by fire, which the wind too cannot break asunder, and not by water can be rotted, and is able to sustain the world? Who can bravely withstand both the king and the thief, and cannot be seized by humans and non-humans?"
The World Honoured One told him saying:
"Merit is not burnt by fire, by wind too it cannot be broken asunder, and not by water be rotten, and it is able to sustain the world. Merit can bravely withstand both the king and the thief, and cannot be taken away by humans and non-humans."
Which traced forward and translated roughly and simply means:
"Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds."
Rest now, my brother. May you have found the peace you anxiously craved in this world.
