The Stranger is the
Boddhisattva, the
Sage. He tricks the
man, the ego, onto
the spiritual path
by appealing to the
ego's desire for the
'beauty' of
pleasure, the
pleasure of beauty,
higher states of
mind. Thus man
begins the spiritual
journey, looking for
gold, because he
has revulsion to
samsaric,
meaningless
existence- but
confuses the
spiritual search
with a kind of
attainment, a
possession, albeit
one of beauty. The
man, as ego, cannot
attain or find this
gold and he realizes
the gold is not 'out
there' anywhere in
the outer world or
particular states of
mind. He gives up
this futile search,
realizing that the
spiritual search
will be the end of
him, the death of
ego.
Yet ego, being
clever, turns this
realization into
another quest for a
confirmation of it's
existence, it's
greatness at
realizing it's own
eventual death-
ego's grave as
monument to itself,
ironically. This
'ultimate' quest is
co-opted into the
'ultimate' ego trip
and makes ego very
clever, very
strong. The actual
digging, or
practice, can in one
sense only
strengthen ego- yet
it digs a deep
enough hole that, in
time, ego will slip
and fall into this
hole, a true
realization of
emptiness- the
ravens symoblize the
protectors. As he
dies, he laughs as
he realizes that the
Sage has tricked him
into this death, and
the emptiness is
also the laughter of
luminosity.
And ego dies, and
the man becomes the
Sage, going to the
town, knowing the
dream and helping
others know the
same.
T
