Here are 3 more of the Apriori Flower series.
To see the previous Begining comics go here: Apriori Flower - Comics from 2016 - 01:01-03
The Apriori Flower series has visuals and dialogue explanations.
Apriori Flower - Comics from 2016 - 01:04-06
Apriori Flower 01:04 - What is Noble?
Apriori Flower 01:04 - What is Noble?
DIALOGUE:
Frame 1:
King Flower: What is the benefit of being the King Flower?
Apriori Flower: The King Flower is the Master!
Frame 2:
Apriori Flower: He is the Master of Practice! The King Flower knows time is limited and he must practice mindfully.
Frame 3:
King Flower: And the King Flower controls everything! The King Flower controls others. The King Flower will make everything right!
Apriori Flower: No!
Frame 4:
Apriori Flower: The King Flower controls everything he sees. As the Queen Flower she enjoys the same power. That control is practice of the 5 practices with meditation.
King Flower: I see. How do you know this?
Frame 5:
Apriori Flower: I wanted property to be noble, yesterday. Now I see property has to be taken care of. My mind is my property. My deeds are its practice.
King Flower: This Kingdom is mine. All of this is mine. Where does this Kingdom become yours?
Frame 6:
Apriori Flower: You have given me everything. We share it with others. Some neglect and some protect. It is still my responsibility and practice.
King Flower: We will share this.
CONCLUSION:
King Flower, the Master, is describing what is noble. Here he is revealing the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism. Apriori does not fully understand all of this. Apriori is however fully engaged in practice. Understanding cause and effect Apriori realizes that to be the king is to be mindful of practice.
Apriori is also starting to understand that he is a reflection of King Flower or even that King Flower is a reflection of him. Apriori wants to be the King Flower and the King Flower shows that meditative practice is the way to being the master of everything.
Apriori Flower 01:05 - 1st Prescribed Practice
Apriori Flower 01:05 - 1st Prescribed Practice
DIALOGUE:
Frame 1:
Apriori Flower: In our kingdom we share the respect of life.
King Flower: 1. Respect Life
Frame 2:
King Flower: This is the first of the Five Prescribed Practices it is one of the jewels in our crown.
Apriori Flower: The crown is our corolla and petals.
Frame 3:
King Flower: And what is your corolla?
Apriori Flower: Me.
Frame 4:
King Flower: Why is your crown, which is your corolla, that has the petals, which are jewels, you?
Apriori Flower: This crown is me because it represents the mind.
Frame 5:
King Flower: You are mind. Mind has compassion because there is the respect for life. By knowing this you also know there is love. Love is the respect of life. All life that we see is ours.
Apriori Flower: We are mind? Or are we Mind?
Frame 6:
King Flower: We are Mind because we are Life. We are noble because we have learned this together. We share this life as our kingdom.
Apriori Flower: Mind will practice to Respect Life.
CONCLUSION:
Apriori understands that the kingdom is based on the respect of life. This is the first prescribed practice. The 1st of the Five Precepts is to undertake the practice of not killing. Not killing is not just not killing it is also not harming.
This is not just an idea of Buddhists. The Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths all recognize as one of the Ten Commandments that one should not kill. Not killing also means not harming. If you are wanting to harm some life or you realize that you are doing this then you can change and do no more harm.
Food of course is killing. At the same time all of us are food in some form or another. We must respect life in this way also. What do we really need to eat in order to be happy and healthy?
Apriori Flower 01:06 - 2nd Prescribed Practice
We experimented with two different frame sets...
Previously we only showed the black and white versions so you get to see something reserved for the future which is today...
Apriori Flower 01:06 - 2nd Prescribed Practice
Frame 1:
Apriori Flower: In a noble kingdom property is respected.
King Flower: 2. Respect Property
Frame 2:
King Flower: This is respecting the work of others. Everything that you see was created before you.
Apriori Flower: How can I earn a living?
Frame 3:
King Flower: (NO DIALOGUE)
Apriori Flower: (NO DIALOGUE)
Frame 4:
King Flower: Earning a living is part of your practice. You have to work with others in order to achieve your goals. As a flower you convert the Sun’s light into energy and you share that energy with others for food.
Apriori Flower: Who owns the Sun. How can I take from it without disappointing someone else.
Frame 5:
King Flower: Sometimes we take without knowing but we know we are taking.
Apriori Flower: So we thank the Sun for its gift to us. We practice this as to Respect Property.
Frame 6:
King Flower: When we realize that we are taking we thank the source or ask for forgiveness from taking.
Apriori Flower: I salute the Sun! I salute all that I have taken!
CONCLUSION:
Apriori states that the noble kingdom respects property. This is the 2nd of the Five Prescribed Practices which King Flower is sharing with Apriori. Property is defined here as the work of others. There is also the need for making a living. In order to make a living one must take the work of others or one must work with others to get what one needs.
If we don’t know who made the material we take, then we respect it in itself. If we are not sure who made the material we use, then we respect the material itself. We salute the material. We know that energy which is life created this material in time. We enhance our practice by respecting the property of others even if we do not know them.
Finally if we learn that the thing that we have has been the work of someone else and we have in correctly taken it then we ask forgiveness. We improve our practice. Maybe we have something to trade for this. Or maybe we do not need it at all. In the end Apriori salutes the Sun for giving the flower energy.