Israel gives better (head)

Warning: If the topic of beheading bothers you, even when the point (as here) is to create a work of fiction, then don't read on.

Back in 2006, I had first offered this piece to the public, though on a now-defunct website.

Though it might seem an odd placement for a creative writing exercise such as this, I concluded: "Exposing my fellow citizens to my creative side is a good way for them to get to know me. And this is important since I wish to become their president."

Triple-M Gives Good Head; Israel Gives Better

 by Steven Searle © 2006

Background and Dedication

On June 25, 2006, Palestinian militants either - depending on your point of view - "kidnapped/captured" Gilad Shalit, a 19-year old corporal in the Israeli army. When I finished writing this piece on July 20, 2006, nobody knew if Gilad had been executed and, if so, what retaliatory military response Israel would come up with. Israel's overreaction-to-date, however, leads me to wonder out loud: "Why are they militating so extremely? For the sake of one young man? Do they know something about him that the rest of us don't? Like, maybe he's the Messiah or something?" No, can't be, I'm sure this is not the case. Maybe some exaggerated invoking of "an eye for an eye" is at fault.

Or maybe something more mundane is at work. Perhaps the Israeli military is reacting to the audacity of a successful attack on one of its units. It's well known that authoritarians the world over do not like to be embarrassed and, further, tend to wreak havoc on their transgressors. Who knows?

Even if Gilad Shalit is alive and eventually freed, thereby reducing Israeli military hyperactivity (at least until the next "crisis"), I feel the following kaleidoscopic might be a reasonable indicator of events yet-to-unfold in the event of a similar seizure in the future. So it is to Gilad Shalit, to whom I dedicate this piece.

Forewarning 

I am sure many people will take offense at this humble literary effort of mine. For one thing, the subject is a decapitated head. This, I admit, is grisly enough to contemplate only in passing, let alone to dwell upon at great length as I have done here. However, I felt emboldened to proceed by keeping in mind that extremes in writing are sometimes necessary to match ever-evolving extremes in actual human behavior. Concerning events transpiring in the Middle East, writing in a nicey-nice manner won't cut it.

Then there are those who will see my words as anti-Jewish. For the record, I am not a Jew Hater, though I am personally uncomfortable with the very idea of a state conceived for the benefit of a particular religion. My feelings on this issue are equally negative toward the idea of an Islamic state or a Christian state...or a Buddhist one, for that matter. As far as negative reaction from the Mossad is concerned, I address those practical ladies and gentlemen as follows:

Frankly, I don't care if you conclude that you must hate me for my words. I do care, however, about what you might do, since violent overreaction by partisans of all persuasions seems to be very much in vogue these days. As bad as your overreaction might be for me, I fear it would be many times worse for you and, especially, for those things you care most about. I declare this from the standpoint of a follower of the Buddhist scripture known as the Lotus Sutra, which assures a horrible retribution in the here-and-now which will persist for many lifetimes for those who would harm a Preacher of the Law (like me, for instance).

I urge you, partisans of Israel, to carefully contemplate my presentation. Learn from it. Don't dismiss it too quickly. Let it sink in. Deep in your hearts, you know the tension in the Middle East cannot continue for much longer. Embrace your Arabic neighbor, for he is truly your brother. Refraining from this embrace is breaking God's heart. As for me, do not regard me too harshly. If you feel duty-bound to regard me as an enemy, I know that you will come to realize (after all gets said and done): "With enemies like Steve, who would ever need friends?"

Some Useful Definitions 

Definition:  "SuperBall (originally Super Ball) is a toy manufactured by Wham-O®. It is an extremely elastic ball made of Zectron®... When an original Wham-O® Super Ball was dropped from shoulder level onto a hard surface such as concrete, it rebounded to about 90% of the original height."- quoted from Wikipedia, the free, online encyclopedia.

Definition: "SuperDuperBall (SDB), capable of rebounding to 99% of its original height, is the next generation of SuperBall. SDB is powered by utilizing a bio-technology capable of actually storing ‘reboundability' in much the same way as capacitors (caps) store electric charge (i.e., caps and bio-caps are units capable of discharging when needed). Though no practical military use of SDB's has been conceived as yet, [U.S.] Commander-in-Chief has ordered all relevant information classified ‘Top Secret.'" - quoted from a stolen, classified U.S. Department of Defense document.

Definition: "AMD" stands for "Anti Missile Defense," a highly-efficient system deployed throughout Israel during the period of the following chronology, intended to destroy any incoming missiles launched from neighboring locations. Israel's AMD, developed jointly by U.S. and Israeli technicians, is considered the prototypical system for that which is being contemplated for imminent deployment throughout the United States. 

Definition: "IDF" stands for "Israeli Defense Force," the official name of Israel's armed forces.

Definition:  "Day Zero" is a day in the future which occurs months after a member of the IDF is kidnapped/captured by a previously unknown band of Palestinian militants calling themselves the Mighty Minions of Mohammed (dubbed "Triple-M" by the popular press). [Note: This seizure is the first to have occurred in years in the Palestinian Territories.] 

Chronology of Events Starting from Day Zero 

Day Zero (noon):

News Flash [Gaza City]: Nobody knew what Triple-M meant by saying, "The head shall soon be bouncing all over Israel." The whole world knew which head was being referred to; the "bouncing" part was the mystery. Now we know. Militants had already publicly announced that IDF Corporal Heezah Freemason* had been decapitated. Israel then responded by demanding the return of the corporal's head shortly after discovering the rest of him. Astonishingly enough, it turns out that Freemason's head had been encased within a transparent superball-like substance. Then, a powerful catapult having been used to launch it from an unknown point within the Gaza Strip, it arced over the border and landed in Israel. After bouncing crazily thither and yon for close to an hour, it finally stopped, crashing through the roof of a popular Israeli deli. Thank God/Allah no one in the deli was hurt. 

*Editor's note: "Freemason" was not always the family surname; Heezah's father (Ima) had it legally changed while still a U.S. citizen. The senior Freemason claimed: "I call myself ‘Freemason' because I would be more than happy to personally build a brick wall, free of charge, around any Jewish community in the world threatened by hostile neighbors."

Day Zero (9 p.m.): 

[Scene: Two young American volunteers in Gaza City. They are alone in a park, sitting under the stars on a clear desert night, sharing some private thoughts.] 

"Why didn't the Israelis open fire? Anything launched from Gaza has always been shot down. That's policy." - Eve. 

"Under normal circumstances, yes. However, they were willing to hold their fire and take a chance this incoming was Heezah's head. They definitely wanted to recover it intact." - Adam. 

"Why did they think it might be Heezah's head?" - Eve. 

"I heard Triple-M actually told IDF High Command they were about to launch Heezah's head, just before doing so. HC decided to take a chance and not engage their AMD." - Adam. 

"My God! ‘Take a chance?' What if it had been nuclear?" - Eve. 

[Laughing.] "Even though they didn't engage their AMD, SENSOR is always engaged. Within seconds, they knew it was non-nuclear. And that's all they wanted to know. True, it could have been some type of bomb, but they figured it was too small to cause major damage. So, like I said, they didn't shoot because they wanted his head intact." - Adam. 

"Why did Triple-M use a catapult? Was it to confuse or somehow thwart AMD?" - Eve. 

"AMD would have been quite capable of stopping anything launched, even by catapult." - Adam. 

"Really? I mean, what if an object is in the air for only a few seconds before it would hit its target?" - Eve. 

"Well, it would have to truly be ‘for only a few seconds.' Anything more than that would be stopped in its tracks. Even if it comes in without heat, like something catapulted, SENSOR would pick it up. You see, these days, everything in Israel is either highly controlled, under surveillance, or on a hair trigger ... including its citizens, I'm afraid." - Adam. 

"Back to my question: Why a catapult?" - Eve. 

"I think it was to make a statement, like ‘You may have the best air defenses in the world and we can't top that. So we'll try a bit of low-tech instead.' Besides, maybe SENSOR wouldn't have been able to ‘see' inside a missile to determine it non-nuclear. In that case, a shoot-down would have been necessary. And I'm sure Triple-M's big goal was to create a spectacle with this bouncing head - not wanting it shot down." - Adam.

"I heard IDF took the head in, ah, ‘custody' hours ago. And yet, no reaction from the Israeli government." - Eve. 

"Yeah, it's been awfully quiet." - Adam. 

Looking around and straining to listen, Eve says: "I can't hear a thing. It's like the desert itself is holding its breath." 

Day Zero plus 10 days:

Excerpt from secure e-mail between two agents of Israeli Intelligence: 

"Analysis of Projectile is complete. There is no doubt that Heezah's severed head was encased in what is now known to be an SDB-like substance, though the following is of particular interest: Using a process currently unknown to us or the Americans, the terrorists were able to ‘rubberize' the molecules of Heezah's head (similar to how organic matter is petrified). The apparent purpose of this was to prevent disintegration of the head due to shock waves generated within the SDB when making its multiple impacts (bounces) in Israel. We are attempting to replicate this rubberization process. More later." 

Day Zero plus 30 days: 

News Flash: No reaction whatsoever from official Israeli sources over this highly unusual first in the long-running history of terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. This non-reaction is a first in its own right, as Tel Aviv is always very quick to (at least) verbally condemn any terrorist activity. Rumor has it, this silence is an indication of a severe split within the government as to how to proceed. 

News Flash: Throughout the Middle East, especially in the poorer quarters, the sport of basketball has witnessed an upsurge of popularity. Pundits throughout the civilized world have always appreciated basketball's time-honored utility as a poor man's sport. So it comes as no surprise to see many of the poorest and most idle of Muslim youth whiling away their time on the courts. What is surprising is the portrait of Heezah Freemason's head which is crudely painted on all of these balls. Oddly enough, this phenomenon has not been seen in any part of the Palestinian Territories. 

Day Zero plus 40 days: 

Two wealthy Saudis, in private conversation: 

"I really have to congratulate you on that rubberized-head idea. Your research team really showed the world what a group of committed and resourceful...no, forget ‘resourceful'...I'll just come out and say it: ‘stinking rich'... Arabs are capable of devising." - Alpha. 

"You want to know the funny part? The U.S. President himself told me about this Top Secret SuperDuperBall technology." - Omega. 

"He told you?" - Alpha. 

"Oh yes, indeed. He had a few drinks and ... we're ‘allies' don't you know? And the rest, as they say, is ‘loose lips.' But of course I didn't tell him we had already developed that technology ourselves, long ago. And, as well, I didn't mention our rubberization process." - Omega. 

"Why did you not tell him? Are we not ‘allies,' after all?" - Alpha. 

"Oh, yes. We are allies, but I'm not stupid." - Omega.

Day Zero plus 42 days: 

[Scene: Within the walls of a maximum security Israeli prison, Knitt'n Yah'hoo sits in solitary confinement, in the grip of a disturbing vision. Knitt'n was imprisoned for a failed attempt at suicide bombing ten years ago and found religion while incarcerated. He keeps his increasingly frequent visions to himself, saying nothing of them aloud, knowing that even the walls of his cell have ears.]

Knitt'n's vision: 

A transparent orb is sailing across the border. Within said orb I behold a head - and only a head. Its facial expression is a mask of pure horror, such as one would surely wear if knowing well in advance of one's own pending beheading. That's what's hardest about death: Having too much time to think about the blow that has been threatened. Or maybe the hardest thing occurs when the means of death is delivered slowly by unsteady hands. 

For as long as there have been men, we have dreamed of flight. But not like this. Not flying into one's homeland after being personally desecrated. Now comes the first of many bounces - this one, on the hard surface of a paved road - after which the orb sails once again high into the sky. I see that face in slow motion, rippling with shockwaves caused by smacking the highway. I see many more bounces and many attempts to snare this orb - all unsuccessful.

Then it stops after crashing through a roof. Passers-by, looking too closely at this atrocity fall back, tears blinding their eyes. They are the lucky ones, for they can look away. After a while, they will feel with less intensity the memory of what they saw. I, however, cannot get that face out of my mind; it is branded onto my eyes. Everything I see seems imprinted by that visage, solely for my consumption. The face of a man who might have been a friend, under other circumstances. 

Day Zero plus 60 days: 

[Scene: Two young American volunteers in Gaza City. They are alone in a park, sitting under the stars on a clear desert night, sharing some private thoughts.] 

"Did you hear what just happened?" - Eve. 

"Who hasn't? Imagine! Taking the severed heads of 20 prominent, imprisoned terrorist leaders, shrinking them so they'd fit into one small SDB, and launching it into Gaza." - Adam. 

"Well, at least IDF had the decency to warn the Palestinian Authority not to shoot, and why." - Eve. 

"Right, that's exactly what the world needs more of: this kind of decency." - Adam. 

"I heard lots of money changed hands for the Israelis to access the necessary technology for this operation." - Eve. 

"Yeah, money seems to work miracles every time. What would the Middle East be without its share of miracles?" - Adam. 

Day Zero plus 61 days: 

News Flash: There is an eerie silence pervading the Palestinian Territories, the day after 20 shrunken heads were launched into Gaza. There are no demonstrations in the streets, no wailings from the mosques, no self-flagellations in sight. The world is wondering, "How will the Palestinians respond to this outrage?" 

Day Zero plus 62 days: 

[Overheard in a marketplace.] 

"I guess ‘an eye for an eye' now means, ‘Consider us ‘even' if, for every one of our least important whom you kill, we kill 20 of your most prominent.'" 

Day Zero plus six months: 

News Flash: It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop. There has not been a single terrorist incident against the Israelis since Israel launched those 20 heads four months ago. What next? 

Day Zero plus six years: 

[From the diary of a prisoner of conscience in the United States, in the middle of serving his fifteen year sentence, who devotes his time to following current events, praying for the soul of Gaia, and meditating.] 

Dear Diary: 

Nobody visits Israel any more, that sad land of tragedy. I guess it's just as well their government built that wall. It serves well to keep out anyone who might accidentally wander into no-man's land. Nobody would want to cross that border now. 

I still cannot believe what happened. No one will ever get it right. After the 20 heads were launched, the Palestinians purposefully withheld any reprisal. I heard this was the result of a huge whispering campaign that ended up having a huge butterfly effect. You know, word of mouth, in effect: ‘Let us not respond, going head-to-head so to speak. Let's do what the Israelis would least expect and, ultimately, would themselves suffer most greatly from: Respond with submission. After all, isn't that what the word "Islam" means? To "submit to the will of God?" 

And "submit" they did. They did not react at all. They slammed the brakes on all of their vehicles, great and small, of externally-manifested Jihad. They said nothing unkind and did nothing unkind, including the few of them who still crossed the border on a daily basis to work in Israel. They suffered taunts and jeers to be sure, but maintained their submission stoically. And in this, the Palestinians were joined by their sympathizers throughout the Middle East. 

Then an amazing thing happened. With the terrorists/freedom-fighters no longer threatening them, the Jews turned against each other. The Super Duper Orthodox started the ball rolling by pointing accusing fingers at the [merely] Orthodox, saying, "You're not really Jews." The different factions became increasingly suspicious of each other, to the point where one small band of zealots stole some nuclear weapons from the Israeli arsenal, just to assure their own security. [I guess the small always fear the large.] Other groups, seeing this, obtained nukes of their own. 

Then, a very predictable thing happened. There was an accident, or a misunderstanding. Call it what you will, but it ended up in a nuclear exchange within Israel. It seems that years of ever-escalating insensitivity to Israel's Palestinian Problem induced such a state of paranoia as to make Israeli self-destruction inevitable. I guess that's human nature. Wasn't Israel supposed to be a light unto all nations? Tell me, what did it profit Israel by showing the world a light created by its own nuclear meltdown? Maybe this "light unto all nations" edict was intended to be a negative example. I don't know. 

Sad Israel. I shall now say a prayer for her. 

Day Zero plus Eight Years: 

A great Buddhist meditation master reads the minds of his close disciples, coming up with: 

·       Why was it so important for the Jews to have a nation to call their own? The Chinese take-over of Tibet didn't destroy Tibetan Buddhism. Also, the world community allowed that "Big" to take over that "Small" - without much complaint.

·       It is claimed in a certain Holy Scripture that God gave a certain land to the tribes of Israel. Did they not know that God was testing them? Not everything in such scriptures is to be taken at face value. Even in our Buddhist scriptures, there are sections where the Buddha himself actually lies and hopes that his disciples call him on it. It was one of the great failures of those in the Great Assembly of monks that, in fact, no one did call him on it.

·       An evil thought crossed my mind: I had always hoped for a great disaster to befall the Middle East. This would show the world how following false religion leads to disaster. Even though I know this to be true, there's no way the followers of Abraham could have known it; they'd be too busy finding ways to blame the Other instead of looking within themselves. I say mine was an "evil thought," because one should never pray for the misfortune of another. Instead, I should have prayed for their enlightenment. And worked toward it.

·       One could say, "The humiliation of the Moslems by the Great Western Powers was karmic retribution for the great arrogance of the Caliphate at the height of its power." As for the Israelis, they took the notion of God being on their side entirely too far. What greater arrogance is that? I wonder how they will resurrect themselves, and what this resurrected form will look like.

·       It will be interesting to see how Jews and fundamental U.S. Christians will come to interpret this turn of events. In times of great tragedy, the interpreters and revisionists start kicking their activities into high gear.

·       I wonder what God, that Great Bodhisattva Protector of the West, will do now.

·       There is a new sect calling itself "God is Greatest," which is gaining in popularity among disillusioned Western monotheists. They've abandoned all pretense of theology and Holy Scripture, becoming religious Know-Nothings. All they do is repeat aloud, over and over, "God is Greatest." How do I as a Buddhist reach out to people like this?

Day Zero plus Ten Years: 

[Scene: Two aging American volunteers in Gaza City. They are alone in a park, sitting under the stars on a clear desert night, sharing some private thoughts.] 

"Have you heard? Vietnam and North Korea are asking for U.S. military help. It seems China's ready to invade." - Adam. 

"I heard China wants to annex those two countries. Could that possibly be true? Whatever happened to the principle of Self-Determination - that Holy Grail of the Left?" - Eve. 

"I'd believe anything these days, including the truth: newly-discovered resources in these countries are ‘inspiring' the Chinese." - Adam. 

"Ah, a different kind of Holy Grail. I guess the Big will always be tempted to exploit the Small - unless the Small happen to have nuclear weapons [laughs]." - Eve. 

"or unless God is on their side [laughs]." - Adam. 

"Or both [both laugh]." - Eve. 

"I wonder...what is it that makes the Big big?" - Adam. 

"Maybe the Big guy is the guy who ultimately wins, assuming there is an ‘ultimate'" - Eve. 

"By annihilating his neighbor? Or assimilating him? Or thoroughly dominating him with some currently-unknown-yet-irrefutable technology?" - Adam.

"So that's it, then? We're doomed to an endless series of conflicts between Bigs and Smalls? - Eve. 

"Maybe things aren't so bad as all that. Even if a very ‘Big' appears on the scene, it could conceivably go the way of all the others: Power struggles from within, loss of vigor, over- or under-reaction at the top, corruption...all ultimately leading to breakdown. Some would call this: ‘failure of integrity.' I like that. Then it would join all the other failed ‘Bigs' in a special Big Hell." - Adam. 

"And not take us little people with it, I hope. - Eve. 

"Right, that is something to worry about. Seems like people are worrying more and more these days about how to deal with the various Bigs in their lives." - Adam. 

"Maybe instead of worrying, we should forsake the Bigs and, as individuals, just pray to deal with our age-old demons: Borders, Boundaries, and Behaviors." - Eve. 

"Don't the Buddhists call these three demons Greed, Anger, and Stupidity?" - Adam. 

"Same thing, yes?" - Eve. 

"Yeah...same thing." - Adam. 

FINISH 

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

“In order to make some larger (hopefully) profound points, I’m willing to risk looking bad. Appearances aren’t everything” – Steve.

The Buddha of the Dead Sea

Background:

The Buddha of the Dead Sea is about a fictitious holy man who lives alone in a Lotus flower-shaped houseboat in the middle of the Dead Sea. He is on a widely-known, non-stop praying mission to convert the Dead Sea to a Living Sea of fresh water, and thereby convert the whole of the Middle East to a Buddha land.

Thesis: The only way to achieve peace in the Middle East is to debunk the Abrahamic faiths by showing the power of the Buddha Way.

Invitation to you:

I would love to see a play or a movie based on this concept, for which I claim original visionary credit. However, the writing of plays or of movies is beyond the scope of my abilities. Therefore, I invite you to do the writing, and to feel free to use any of the following ideas I've listed.

Naturally, any and all rights would belong to you. As for my own reward: Just knowing I'd inspired you would be more than enough.

A Sketch of the Lead Actors

The Dead Sea itself:

There are aspects of the Dead Sea which would serve well to describe the Middle East. These can also serve to compare Abrahamic to Buddhistic notions of life and death:

·       Its shores are the lowest areas of land on earth, at over 1,300 feet below sea level. So, like the Middle East, the Dead Sea is in a "low" way, its waters (a symbol of life) dead-ended with nowhere to go.

·       The small size of the Dead Sea makes it an ideal and intimate stage upon which this story is played out. Were it too large, the Buddha of the Dead Sea wouldn't loom that large himself.

·       Water, by virtue of entering the Dead Sea, "dies" (that is, loses its potential) by having to remain in that body. Such water could be reincarnated (or come back to life, as it were) only after it leaves the Sea by evaporating and then falling elsewhere as life-giving rain.

·       The Dead Sea is one of the world's saltiest (deadest) bodies of waters. It is becoming even "deader" by having its fresh, incoming waters diverted for human and agricultural use. There is a real danger that this icon could disappear entirely and, even though "dead," end up wreaking environmental havoc (causing more death, quite literally) due to its absence. [It's interesting how the dead support the living.]

·       There are plans, in the exploratory phase only, to dig a canal connecting the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, in hopes of raising its level. This project would also provide hydroelectric power as the Red Sea waters power turbines by means of the power of their downward flow toward the Dead Sea. This same downward pressure could be used in a Reverse Osmosis process to provide fresh drinking water, though the downside to that is the salts that are filtered out would be flushed into the Dead Sea.

·       The Bible speaks prophetically of the Dead Sea healing and becoming a body of fresh water, with fish living in it some day (Ezekiel 47). However, the way in which it becomes a Living Sea is by means of an ironic Buddhist fulfillment of this prophecy, which serves as the climax of my story.

The Dead Sea Buddha himself:

This is the main character in my story - a true mystery man unknown by anybody, with no traceable history. Referring to himself simply as the Buddha of the Dead Sea, he lacks even a name, birth certificate, or any documentation that he even exists. Furthermore, he denies that he is a citizen of any country. Complicating matters for any who would try to discern his origins, he speaks several languages fluently.

He encounters no objections from Israeli or Jordanian authorities when he asks permission to live in solitude in the middle of the Dead Sea on a floating houseboat. His wealth, in the form of gold of uncertain origin, suffices to build this houseboat and to arrange for supplies to be flown in occasionally via seaplane.

The Lotus

The Lotus is the name of the houseboat, which is the Buddha's dwelling. The flowering plant known as the lotus is a significant symbol among Nichiren Buddhists, with whom I was personally connected.

This plant, lovely to behold as it floats serenely on the surface of a pond, actually draws its nourishment via a root feeding off the muck on the bottom. Comparing it to a human being, the flower represents the potential all of us have to manifest the "bloom" of Buddhahood - even though we are connected to and nourished by muck (that is, by our earthly desires).

Also, the Lotus is a symbol of an important concept in Mahayana Buddhism - the simultaneity of cause and effect. The fact that the Lotus is the only plant that flowers and seeds at the same time, is interpreted symbolically as meaning:

When a person takes appropriate action (creating a cause) leading toward enlightenment, there is an immediate (though subtle, internal) effect which is a manifestation of this enlightenment. That's what's meant by "the simultaneity of cause and effect," which refutes the notion that any possible manifestation of effect takes place much later.

Two dedicated disciples of this Buddha

These two provide logistical support for Dead Sea Buddha, arranging for occasional deliveries of supplies he needs. These two are also unknown, untraceable mystery men but they are unique and provocative in their appearance. They'd dyed their skin and hair saffron (a traditional Buddhist color), and wear saffron-colored clothes. However, one wears his hair and clothes in the style of a Hasidic Jew; the other of an (Islamic) Whirling Dervish.

All appearances are just that - only appearances - as the "dervish" states, "Before becoming a Buddhist, I was a Jew," and the Hasidim states, "Before becoming a Buddhist, I was a Muslim." Both men, however, are inseparably close friends, explaining to people, "In a past life, we were brothers."

The authorities

Toward the end of this story, there is a scene on the Lotus, featuring a confrontation between this Buddha and men (it's always men, isn't it?) who represent the interests of the locals. Four are from the Israeli side, and four are from the Islamic side - each group having one member from the clerical side.

The Buddha makes an offer to these men, after performing a miracle in their presence. This offer is the dramatic high point of this piece.

The Setting:

In the near future, at the time when the Red Sea to Dead Sea Canal is nearing completion, the Buddha of the Dead Sea invites the eight men (referred to, above) to receive a gift from him. He had already sent them a plan, of his own creation, detailing a revolutionary new technology for desalination of the waters about to flow in from the Red Sea. He is able to lure them to the Lotus by promising something even more profound, but only to be bestowed on board the Lotus.

The climax

It is late in the evening when the eight men of authority board the Lotus to meet the Buddha and receive his gift. After pleasantries are exchanged, the Buddha gives each of his guests a large cup and instructs them to dip it into the Dead Sea and drink the water.

The eight look at each other, and one finally says, "You know we can't drink that water - unless ... unless these cups are designed to make fresh water out of salty."

The Buddha says that these are just cups to hold water, not to change it. But he also says, "Go ahead and drink anyway. If you are not sure, then take only a small sip."

The guests do as instructed and are amazed to be drinking fresh water. Then the Buddha's two disciples, witnessing this from nearby, look at each other, nod in agreement, and then take a running leap into the (now) Living Sea, letting out a hearty "Yee-ha!" before disappearing below the waves.

When they surface, one yells out, "Look! I can swallow this in good health!" Another one fumbles with his hands and yanks something to the surface, "Look! A fish! For the first time in 2,000 years, a fish lives in the Dead Sea!"

Later, when pressed for an explanation, the Buddha tells these authorities that he just now made the entire Dead Sea into a body of fresh water - "no more salt!" And he adds: "If you have any doubt about the power of a Buddha to perform this kind of miracle, then you have much to learn about Buddhism."

But there's a catch:

The Buddha informs his guests that this now-living sea won't stay that way, unless each of the eight agrees - before dawn - that it should. Even one dissenter would be enough to cause the Dead Sea to return to its past, hostile state. Then he says, "I'm leaving you now to talk this over. In your wisdom or perhaps in your foolishness, you might decide the sea was better off dead. You might decide the prospect of a Living Sea to be detrimental somehow, even though it would allow the entire surrounding areas to come to life."

Before he leaves the room, the Buddha looks at one of the eight (Muslim or Jew, I will not say) and beckons him, "Come outside with me, I need a word with you in private."

When alone, the Buddha says, "I know you're a suicide bomber. Tell me, are you surprised the bomb didn't go off when tried to detonate it shortly after you arrived here? Don't be surprised - I rendered it harmless."

[It turns out the bomb is in this guest's artificial leg.]

The Buddha concludes: "I especially wanted you to be here, because of the special challenge you represent. You think I'm some kind of demon, since you can't think outside the limits of your own faith. But what I said still goes. If you are the only one to decide that this sea must not live, then it shall not. Of course, if it does live, that will stand as proof of the power of Buddhism, since the whole world knows I've been praying to convert the Dead Sea for years, from my home here on the Lotus."

One additional detail:

In the closing scene, the Buddha gives the suicide bomber a special gift - the artificial limb is transformed into his own original flesh and blood. The wannabe bomber is overwhelmed by joy at his sudden conversion, but he's still torn by his deep-seated doubts about the Buddha.

The benefactor looks at this man and says, "If you or any of the others decide the Dead Sea shall not live, then your leg will become as it was before - artificial and containing a bomb. But I promise you this, that bomb will not explode.

"You have a lot to think about - before the sun rises."

An Unconventional Buddha

I want to portray this Buddha non-traditionally, since that might serve to reach a wider audience. On occasion, throughout this story, this Buddha swears and comes across as a cranky old man. When challenged about this, he paraphrases one of the teachings found in the Lotus Sutra:

QUOTE [with paraphrase underlined]:

If the form of a Buddha will bring salvation, he immediately manifests a Buddha form and preaches the Law. If the form of an asshole will bring salvation, he immediately becomes an asshole and preaches the Law. Thus he manifests himself in various different forms, depending upon what is appropriate for salvation.

:UNQUOTE [Lotus Sutra, Burton Watson translation, page 296]

Steven Searle for U.S. President in 2012

"We need a fresh approach to quenching the fires of hatred in the Middle East. Maybe what is needed is a nice cool drink of water from an unexpected source" - Steve.