Mario finally convinced me! I never thought I would find myself in such a situation. I always considered myself a rational person, focused on science, facts and research. My work as a psychologist has always been based on evidence-based methods and time-tested practices. But when Mario came into my life, everything changed. Mario was completely different from other colleagues. And why the hell did I trust him?! He called himself an esoteric psychologist, and, frankly, I always looked at such people with a grain of salt. His philosophy seemed vague, unfounded, even a little strange to me. However, something in his manner of speaking, in his calm confidence attracted me.

- Deus,” he said, “you always talk about exploring new things, expanding the boundaries of knowledge. Why don’t you try meditation and yoga?” I winced.

Meditation and yoga had always seemed like trivial things to me, nothing more than a way for people to temporarily escape from their problems. Doubts and sarcastic comments immediately popped into my head, but something in Mario’s tone made me think. Maybe he just wanted to show me something that he considered important?

- I don’t know, Mario, I answered hesitantly. “This is not my method. I’m used to working with real problems, not withdrawing into myself.

He just smiled and added quietly: Deus, meditation and yoga are not an escape from problems, they are a way to look at them from a different angle. Try it, and maybe you’ll see something new. I gave in. Mario offered me a simple exercise. He asked me to sit on the mat, straighten my back and close my eyes.

-Is that all? I thought, but I obeyed. He began to speak in a calm, soft voice, asking me to focus on my breathing, on the air entering and leaving my lungs. At first it seemed funny, even pointless, but after a few minutes I felt my thoughts begin to slow down, and my consciousness cleared of fuss. Now I am sitting in the lotus position on the soft floor, and I think that I am an idiot. Then Mario introduced me to the world of yoga. We started with simple asanas - poses that I could do without feeling too awkward. I noticed how my body began to feel different. The tension that I used to ignore slowly went away, giving way to pleasant relaxation.

- Remember, Yoga is intimate, yoga was never intended for group practices, modern yoga practices are not yoga but a consequence of what happened to it. Marketing moves and there are historical reasons for this. Awareness of the finiteness of life gives value to life. It is important to understand in the language of the brain, and in the concept of the brain, death is the end. Then you need to ask yourself what happened before childbirth. This shock happened because you were scared out of fear or because something happened. We are captured by fantasies! Thoughts-images! We believe in our inventions! People are afraid to ask the question Why? How does my "why" change? Is it there now? Life is an endless path of knowledge, you will never finish learning. Life is a process. We immerse ourselves in the beliefs of the concept of mysticism and lose critical thinking, we will all inevitably fall into delusional information that harms the psyche. The importance of transmitting knowledge, books are notes, expressions of thought, but some people may misunderstand you. This is important with texts. There is an accurate and correct understanding and there is nonsense! But this is the same knowledge, but to convey knowledge and how to understand it correctly, we pull out what we agree with and ignore what we do not understand. Or we take what we like and throw away what we don't like. Ignorance is dangerous and it is important not to deceive ourselves that we know something! A person is inclined to replace real knowledge with the illusion of knowledge. A person entangled in prejudices comes to such a state that the less he understands, the better he feels! A person must be educated. Today they talk about democracy, about the equality of all people. But how will a person know that he is equal with everyone? He must have a strong brain, a pure mind, free from empty ideas. He must free himself from a mass of prejudices and with a pure mind find the true essence in the depths of his being. Then you will know that all perfection, all power always resides within you, it cannot be given to you by another. As soon as a person realizes this, at that very moment he will become free and achieve equality. And he will immediately understand that everyone without exception is equal to him, and he will never use physical or spiritual force to subjugate his brother. He will immediately abandon the idea that there is even one person of lower dignity than himself. Only then can we talk about equality, and not before.

- Mario, how do you know this?? Is it the scriptures or the authors of yoga or your personal opinion?? - I asked.

- I don’t know anything… All knowledge is contained exclusively within the Dream and therefore invalid. This dream, which you call the World, is not a problem. Your problem is that you like some things in this dream and don’t like others. When you see that a dream is just a dream, then your task will be accomplished. All our conversations are conversations for the mind, and only so that it understands the need to shut up… Leave the mind alone, be aware but not involved, and you will realize that being alert but unaffected, contemplating what is happening is one of the manifestations of your True Nature. This is the only way to Peace.

All worries and hopes are born from your imagination – I have neither one nor the other. I simply Am, and I do not need to rely on anything.

I am meditating, sitting in a quiet, bright room of a yoga studio. My eyes are closed, and my breathing is measured and deep. In front of me, slightly ahead, sits my teacher Mario, his presence calming and reassuring. I focus on my breathing, letting thoughts and emotions pass by without clinging to them. My head is filled with purity and clarity.

The meditation is nearing its end. Mario quietly rings the bell, and its sound gently pulls me out of my state of deep concentration. I slowly open my eyes and meet his calm gaze.

“Okay, Deus,” he says, smiling. “You did a great job today.”

I nod gratefully, feeling inner peace. Mario stands up and comes to me.

“It’s important not only to meditate, but also to notice how your mind continues to work afterward,” he says. “Tonight, when you fall asleep, try to remember your dreams. They can give you valuable clues and help you understand what is happening inside you.

His words penetrate the very depths of my consciousness. I understand that meditation is not just an exercise for the mind. It is a path that leads to a deeper understanding of myself.

“Dreams? Dreams are just ravings of the mind for me. Okay, I’ll try, Mario,” I answer.

We both stand in silence for a few moments, enjoying the moment of calm before we start packing. I say goodbye to Mario and leave the studio, feeling the soft evening air envelop me. My soul is light and I feel grateful to have such a mentor in my life.

As I walk home, I reflect on his words and feel how the meditation continues within me even after it is over. Tonight, I will try to pay attention to my dreams, because they can be part of my inner journey.

I sit in my room, immersed in the silence of the late evening. The lamp on my bedside table casts a soft, warm light, illuminating the pages of the book I hold in my hands. It is an old book about Buddhism, with yellowed pages and carefully underlined phrases. I read slowly, taking in every word, as if trying to get to the heart of what is being described. Mario has made me think too much about strange things.

Buddhism has always intrigued me. It seemed to me to be more than just a religion - it was a philosophy that could open the door to understanding oneself and the world around us. Today, especially, I feel the need to delve deeper into these teachings. Maybe it is the influence of meditation with Mario, or maybe it is something more.

I turn the page and read about how Buddha achieved Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. It describes how he realized the cause of suffering and the path to liberation from it. I find myself often searching for answers to the same questions: how to overcome fears and doubts, how to find inner peace.

The book talks about the “Four Noble Truths” and the “Eightfold Path.” These concepts seemed abstract to me at first, but now that I practice meditation more and try to be mindful, they begin to take on concrete forms. I think about how I can apply these teachings in my life. After all, this is not just a theory - it is a guide to action.

Having closed the book, I remain sitting with it in my hands, thinking. Mario’s words sound in my head: “Watch what you dream.” I understand that my reflections on Buddhism are preparation for continuing this internal dialogue in my sleep.

I go to bed and fall asleep with the feeling that tonight I can see something important. Maybe my mind will show me something that I have not yet realized, but that has been present in me for a long time. I close my eyes, and the last thoughts before sleep are filled with a quiet, slow flow of thoughts about life, suffering and the path to freedom. But is there a god? Is this a delusion of our imagination? Are we all and I just struggling with the fear of death? Or are we all crazy? Of course, there is no god in Buddhism, and this is precisely why this teaching interested me.

"One morning, when the Buddha was talking to his disciples, a man came to him to ask for advice.

- Does God exist?

- Yes, there is, - answered the Buddha.

After lunch, another man came and also asked:

- Does God exist?

- No, there is not, - answered the Buddha.

Towards evening, a third man came with the same question.

- Does God exist?

- It is you yourself, - answered the Buddha.

- But this is absurd, teacher! - exclaimed one of the disciples. - How can you give three different answers to the same question?

- Because different people ask, - answered the enlightened one. - And each of them approaches the divine in his own way: through confidence, through denial, or through doubt."

I often think about how ancient civilizations lived, developed, and eventually disappeared, leaving behind only fragments of their former glory. One such civilization was the Sumerians - a people whose contribution to the development of humanity is difficult to overestimate. They gave the world the first cities, writing, and an entire system of beliefs that permeated their daily lives. But despite all this, their civilization eventually died out, leaving behind only the remains of buildings and a few clay tablets scattered throughout museums around the world.

The Sumerians were the first to create writing, cuneiform, which allowed them to preserve their thoughts, laws, myths, and customs. One of the most significant texts that has come down to us is the Enuma Elish, the Sumerian creation epic. This text reveals the Sumerian ideas about how the universe came into being, how gods and people were created. The epic begins with the fact that in the beginning there was nothing, only the primordial ocean, divided into male and female principles - Abzu and Tiamat. From their union the first gods emerged, and a struggle for power began, which eventually led to the creation of the world as the Sumerians knew it.

Reading the Enuma Elish, I can't help but be amazed at how much the ancient Sumerians wanted to understand the world around them. For them, this text was not just a myth, but perhaps also a kind of guide to understanding their place in the universe. They saw themselves as part of a great cosmic order that was governed by gods and predetermined their destinies.

However, despite all their achievements, the Sumerian civilization eventually disappeared. Their cities were destroyed, their temples abandoned, and the only reminders of their great rulers are half-erased inscriptions on stone. What led to their demise? Was it war, climate change, or perhaps internal contradictions that ate away at society from within? It is difficult to answer these questions precisely, but one thing is for sure: nothing lasts forever, and even the most powerful civilizations sooner or later come to an end.

Maybe it's all mythology, we humans bring our myths to life in our imagination. I am generally confused about what I want from life and why I got involved in an adventure with Mario!

Fear of death is one of the deepest and most ancient emotions that humans face. This fear permeates our consciousness, shapes our behavior, and influences the choices we make in life. Psychology and religion view this phenomenon differently, but both fields agree on one thing: the fear of death is a fundamental part of the human experience that each of us must face.

From a psychological perspective, the fear of death can be linked to the basic instinct for self-preservation. Our brain is programmed to avoid danger and preserve life. However, realizing the inevitability of death, a person is faced with a paradox: despite all efforts to preserve life, the end is inevitable. This internal conflict can cause anxiety, depression, and even phobias. Existential psychology sees the fear of death as the main source of many neuroses and anxieties. People, realizing their mortality, often try to find meaning in life that would help them cope with this fear. This is where the desire to achieve goals, create a legacy, or seek spiritual solace comes from.

Religion, on the other hand, offers different interpretations of death and means to overcome the fear of it. In most religious traditions, death is not seen as an ending, but rather as a transition to another form of existence. In Christianity, for example, believers hope for eternal life after death, where the soul finds peace and unites with God. In Buddhism, death is seen as a stage in the cycle of rebirth, and only by achieving enlightenment can a person break out of this cycle and achieve nirvana. These beliefs help to alleviate the fear of the unknown by giving death meaning and significance.

For a hero, whether a literary character or a person in real life, the fear of death can be a source of both weakness and strength. On the one hand, this fear can paralyze, causing one to shy away from dangers and avoid risks. On the other hand, the awareness of one’s own mortality can motivate the hero to actions that go beyond the ordinary, inspiring heroic deeds and selflessness. Great heroes often face this fear head-on, knowing that their actions will matter even after they die.