College years

Hello again,

Once I got to high school, I discovered eastern philosophy and religions. It opened my eyes. Finally, I knew I was not alone in my thinking. College expanded this understanding. I began to read everything I could get my hands on.

At first, i focused on Zen Buddhism. It was elegant and poetic. Of course, many westerners find it totally confusing, but that is because the are all blocked up. Take my favorite zen poem:

The snow goose has no mind to cast its reflection upon the water
The water has no mind to receive it.

Despite its elegance, Zen didn't go far enough for me. I was looking for the essential truth. I wanted it stripped away of all ceremony of all pretense. That is when I found the Tao. Lau tzu wrote a great book 2500 years ago. My favorite translation is by Lin YuTang. You can read it at:

http://www.terebess.hu/english/tao/yutang.html

I will write more on this later.

I also read Carlos Castenada. As well as many others. By the time I finished college, I was firmly established in eastern wisdom. But, I still wanted more. THere was still more to learn so the quest continued........