Just as there are planets orbiting the sun, there are disciples who orbit the guru. This is the story of Pluto Disciple, the farthest disciple from his Guru Sun.
One day the wise and majestic Sage Comet was passing by Pluto Disciple. She came so close that they nearly collided.
“Oh, sorry Pluto Disciple,” she said, dreamily. “I nearly bumped into you. I was thinking of cosmic things.”
Pluto Disciple replied sadly, “It would have been better if you had hit me. Life is just not worth living these days.” He sighed heavily, rotating very slowly on his axis.
“But why? What’s wrong, little friend?” asked Sage Comet, slowing down and manoeuvring into a relaxed orbit around him.
“I’m so far away from Guru Sun that I can hardly feel any warm rays or gravitational pull – in fact, there’s so little holding me I feel sure sometimes I'm just going to drift off into outer space, into infinite nothingness. And look at my brothers and sisters – see Jupiter Disciple, the fat, greedy fellow, lapping up most of Guru Sun's rays. And that Venus Disciple! No one dares say anything to her about pushing up so close because she'll spew sulphuric acid at them if they try. And I can’t even cry real tears to create any oceans. I’m just a lump of ice on the edge of outer space. No one cares about me.”
“I care,” said the kindly Sage Comet. “Let me think over your problem for a while.” She continued to orbit Pluto Disciple, her beautiful tail of shimmering debris lighting up his dark icy landscapes. But even that didn't cheer him up.
After a while, the wise Sage Comet spoke, “Listen, Pluto Disciple, your petty jealousies and resentments have created an impenetrable force-field within and around you, and this is preventing Guru Sun’s rays from reaching you. You must consciously lower this force-field to allow the law of subtle guru-disciple physics to work between you. Otherwise you are indeed very much in danger of floating away. The choice is yours, my friend.”
Pluto Disciple pondered over her words carefully and in doing so began to feel a ray of Guru Sun’s warm energy piercing his frozen core. An immense tenderness vibrated through each of his planetary particles, then one massive ice sheet began to melt, thus creating his first ocean. Pluto Disciple sighed in relief. “Thank you Sage Comet, I think I begin to understand.”
“Now, that will keep the Earth’s scientists busy for another eon or two,” Sage Comet mused. “An ocean on Pluto?” And with that she gathered up her splendid tail and sped off towards the outer reaches of the Milky Way.