Slave to Karma

Karma

"Daoshi. What is karma." she asked as Mo Yuan quietly read from his book while continuing to just as quietly to roam about his study touching everything she saw.

She had been on his mountain for an hour before she actually spoke, but he had let her know he was aware of her presence and he didn't mind. So she had followed him about, listening for his footsteps in the night as he led her from the temple, down the myriad of outer corridors and into his study to read which he did most nights.

He had of course watched her poking about his scrolls, while wondering if she could actually feel them. He'd noticed she never picked anything up, she merely ran her hands over everything in sight, or poked at them which she was doing when her question suddenly broke the silence.

"Karma?

Nodding her head, she turned towards his voice. She couldn't quite remember the exact words that other Daoshi had used, which she really didn't understand anyway but she did know the feeling she had felt when he said her master would also face it

"The other Daoshi said I am suffering from Karma." she replied quietly.

Watching as her small form lowered into a squat at his feet to hug her knees, his eyes once again softened at the fragility of that posture. He could see she had also been dwelling on a concept which she was struggling to understand and perhaps for some time, because rather than cry which he initially thought she would do, she instead remained hunched down with a serious look on her face.

"Well. Karma is the sum of a souls actions. So, we are what our soul growth accumulates over many lifetimes. If we have lived our lives to their full potential, then we move forward in our level of growth, if we do not, we remain learning the lessons we failed to learn until we do." he said summing it up as simply as he could because he felt that anything more in depth would be beyond her.

Nodding her head thoughtfully, she eventually raised her head to look at where she thought his voice was coming from. Her eyes focused on the wall to side of him, but he could clearly see her mind slowly grasping the concept.

"Then I guess I must have been a demon in a past life." she whispered sadly and hugging her knees tighter as a stray tear slipped down her cheek.

Sighing softly, Mo Yuan placed the book down on his desk to talk to her. He honestly felt so much pity for her and though he truly wanted to help her, he knew he couldn't. A souls fate was a personal journey and no one elses to steer. He had of course assisted slaves in the past, but only enough to give them a lesson in self evaluation. He never offered freedom or a chance to live a better life, but a life that would assist in gaining a valuable lesson they could take with them into the next life. And though this girl was going to be given the same kind of lesson, he still pitied her and wished he could do more than just offer words of compassion.

"Ye Yu. Not everyone is born to learn from past lives. Some are born to be the catalyst for others, and some are born to undergo trials in order to strengthen them. It might seem cruel, but a souls journey is never meant to be an easy one, otherwise we would learn nothing." he said gently.

Scrunching her face up, she thought hard about what he said. It kind of made sense to her, but she couldn't help but dwell on the thought that she was perhaps a reason for someone elses past life mistakes.

"Then I wasn't a demon in a past life?" she asked so innocently, that Mo Yuans heart broke a little more her. That she wasn't even dwelling on the misery of her own existence, but rather the thought that she was there to help someone else, told Mo Yuan that this was indeed the case which only endeared him to her even more.

"My dear. Your heart is too pure to be that of a demon. They do not gain such a leap in character without some of the past being present." he tried to explain which only scrunched her little face up even more.