Sometimes I’ll use the idea of Magic City as an explanation to the benefits we see in our lives as a result of our practice. As humans we naturally have difficulties arise in our lives that we wish to address. Sometimes these are material in nature and we achieve our desired goal. Yet all of those benefits are in a sense our Magic City along the path toward our ultimate destination of Buddhahood. They are necessary to our ultimate spiritual development, just as the Magic City was essential to the travelers. The Magic City, though an illusion, actually did provide benefit to the travelers because they could rest and become refreshed. So too the accomplishment of overcoming our difficult circumstances are necessary to our practice, but it is not the final objective.