“The Enlightened”
“An Enlightened Being sees the waves on the surface of the ocean as “ocean,” not as separate entities. People stuck in typical waking consciousness get tripped up by their own verbal labels, calling the waves “waves,” and fully, if thoughtlessly, believing them to be something other than conformations of the great ocean. In like manner, […]
Continue reading“A Modern Patrician”
“Any humble writer would tremble before the task of describing such a man, but one must make an attempt. Royal Fortunatus, Jr. first impressed one as a handsome young man who had about him a patrician air. He would have looked just as fine in the white linen, waistcoat, and breeches of the Federalist period, […]
Continue reading“A Teenager’s First Glimpse of California”
“The sun stood high when Lammet woke. It was Saturday and the scene on which his tired eyes (assisted by his wire rims once he had found and positioned them) sought to focus caused his mouth and eyes to gradually open, giving his face a look of grateful astonishment. Kar had parked the van directly […]
Continue reading“The Ultimate Cure”
“Seeking this cure is the purpose of human life: its highest and only true purpose. All else that might be suggested as valid accomplishments, missions, or goals in life can be subsumed under this all-important one. Because it results in permanent peace, eternal and unlimited happiness, this cure represents the ne plus ultra of human […]
Continue reading“The End of Exams”
“The conclusion of final exams and the end of a school year bring into the vacuum they create a celebratory fervor akin to that felt by soldiers going off to war. One might expect quite the opposite: for the students have completed their onerous work and the warriors are only preparing to begin theirs. But […]
Continue reading“Insights”
“At this point, Skylar lacked all but the vaguest ideas about the nature of this certitude. But with deep conviction, he knew it to be true. Human beings come to grasp profound truths in trans-rational illuminations: sometimes coming in dreams, sometimes in trances or during prayers, sometimes during moments of sublime calmness induced by intoxicants. […]
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