Lundeeria:
The Tale of a Journey to Another Land,
Courage, and the Way to Love All Beings
Told by Justin and Emma to Venerable Wuling
Chapter 1: The Dreams
No one was sure exactly when the dreams began. At first no one paid much attention to them. After all, they were just dreams. But gradually, as more animals had them, they began to talk about their dreams—and how similar they were.
The animals seemed to be dreaming of another land. No one knew for sure because they didn’t recognize it. But in the dreams the name of the land was always the same.
The land was called “Earth.”
In many ways, Earth was like the animals’ own beloved Lundeeria. There were birds and fish and insects and many other kinds of animals. There were trees and flowers and mountains and seas. In fact, there was really only one difference—an animal that was not found on Lundeeria.
Earth had an animal called “humans.”
Unlike on Lundeeria, where all the animals shared equal status, humans were the sole rulers on Earth. And on Earth, because of the humans, something was wrong. Those Lundeerians who had the dreams could feel it. But they couldn’t put a finger on what the problem was.
As more and more animals dreamed of Earth, the Lundeerian Council began to hear about it. But even the wise council members didn’t know why Lundeerians were dreaming of a land called Earth and its creatures called humans. So the council decided to hold a meeting to discuss what was happening. After all, they had always solved their problems by talking and working together.
And so news of the meeting was sent throughout the land. The swifts and the eagles cried out word of it as they flew through the sky. The cheetahs and the antelopes announced it as they ran through the forests, valleys, and mountains. The whales and salmon sang of the meeting as they swam in the seas and rivers. Even the badgers and groundhogs rumbled out the message deep underground. All the creatures of Lundeeria were asked to come to a meeting of the utmost importance.
As usual, no one was to be left out. Used to helping one another, all the animals of Lundeeria began the journey. They travelled, as if one, to the ancient volcano crater that served as Lundeeria’s assembly place. The birds flew and the land animals walked, hopped, and ran. The reptiles crawled and the fish swam. The insects came as well. Those who were younger and stronger carried those who were older and weaker. Larger or faster Lundeerians helped those who were smaller or slower.
By land, air, and water, they all came. Land animals sat on the ground and the rocks. The birds perched in the trees, butterflies on the bushes, and insects in the grass. The creatures of the water swam into the crater’s lake from the great sea that was fed by all the rivers in Lundeeria. As they all settled down in the volcano crater waiting for the meeting to start, they talked of little else but the dreams.
Was this what the meeting was about?
(To be continued...)