I.
Beneath the stars, there is a small pool. Its source is a mighty stream older than our world. The liquid here is clear and good to drink. Other pools reflect whatever appears before them, but the elixir here is true and forever itself.
II.
A single drop is enough to awaken its drinker to reality, to eternal song beyond description. There is no enticing, no deceiving one who has tasted the savor of this inexhaustible Pool of Peace.
III.
Always, everywhere, and in everyone knowable, its existence is not a secret, yet only a rare few know the sublime taste of life’s wondrous nectar.
IV.
How then did sorrow enter this world? How came we to forget the source of all happiness?
V.
Misery is as old as our kind, but no solitary stumble foredoomed us for all time: man is a liminal creature, and whenever he rises not to realization of the divine, he inevitably plummets into the infernal…
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VI.
…specifically, into the vampiric.*
By the time you can spot the fangs, it is already too late. Blood—particularly warm, gushing blood from a fear-paralyzed human neck—is what the vampire seeks.
VII.
Not all vampires wear cloaks, but unconcealed vampiric intentions cannot bear the scrutiny of daylight. Evil could pose no temptation stripped of all it has stolen and warped from the goodness of creation. Yet with partial promises, the Vampire Māyā lures the semi-conscious to their destruction.
VIII.
Frumpy vampires seldom sell. A diabolical mixture of darkness, damage, and danger possesses its charms. The Vampire Māyā feeds on kāma! Beware what seeks to rule or would be ruled by desire.
IX.
Even at its most senseless, wrath is never without its reasons. A slight, some desecration, vengeance: in the moment, what could feel more self-justified? The Vampire Māyā feeds on krodha!
X.
Blood-sucking? Vampires? ‘Preposterous’ you think! The Vampire Māyā feeds on lobha! And feeds some more, as life drains from terror-stricken eyes. For wealth, power, youth, security, immortality: if I don’t feed myself, another will suck my veins dry!
XI.
Do you love your family? More than your own life? More than your humanity? Does worry for your family’s wellbeing often flood your mind? Would you do anything for their sake? Of course you would sacrifice your life to guarantee their safety, but would you sacrifice another’s life? A thousand others’ lives? The Vampire Māyā feeds on moha! And what if your child stood prepared to sacrifice his life—could you accept his love for righteousness?
XII.
The Vampire Māyā feeds on ahaṅkāra! And why should I not be proud of my attainments, of the accursed temptations I have mastered where so many falter? I deserve praise for the subtle exploits of my intellect, across galaxies unsuspected by lesser mortals. Unexampled privilege ought—by rights—to follow unexcelled feats before which my immortality itself must pale.
XIII.
Mere humanity, then, is not—and never can be—sufficient. There is an unquenchable thirst for the infinite within us. Unleash it on created things and the universe itself cannot sate our bloodlust. But by the Gurū’s grace, direct it to the Pool of Peace, and the Vampire Māyā shall feed no more.
ਜੋ ਰਤੁ ਪੀਵਹਿ ਮਾਣਸਾ ਤਿਨ ਕਿਉ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਚੀਤੁ ॥
Those who drink the blood of humans: how can their minds be pure?
(Gurū Nanak, SGGS:140)
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*I hereby acknowledge my heartfelt thanks to Mindy McTeigue, on whose excellent recommendation I first came to recognize the conceptual richness of the vampire genre.
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Nihal Singh