Enlightened

"...Shakyamuni Buddha lived in northern India, probably in the fifth century B. C. E. (His precise dates are disputed.) Bhuddists believed that the Buddha, 'woke up' from ignorance and delusion when he came to an understanding (usually called enlightenment) about 'the way things really are' while meditating under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya... His awakening gave him wisdom and knowledge..." (2011, M. Bowman, page 15) quoted in Making Sense of [Artefacts]... (Open University module A151)

I confess to having similar revelations in mine own life, none so significant as one in-particular, back in the mid-nineties, after band-practice with the heavy metal band Knight of Swords. What happened? Well, I awoke, went downstairs, outside into the orchard. Early in the morning the sea-mist rolled in across the verdant valleys, all about the hills in the stillness of the dawn.

Suddenly something extraordinary happened. I cannot fully explain it, for it was a feeling, a sensational epiphany, like no other, before or since. The rapture was incredible. I transcended this world for a moment, yet was rooted to the earth. I knew everything their was to know, and yet, and I knew nothing: my mind was as clear as a cloudless sky. This divine transcendence held me for only a few seconds, but that briefest of moments seemed to last an æon! I had found peace, or rather, the spirit of peace had found me; the universe and I were in perfect synchronicity. Duende.

Ever since that day I have striven to feel that platonic sensation again. After decades of trying, I surmise that peace is elusive. The more one tries to follow it, the further away it gets. Now, I meditate in peace, and the spirit comes to me. Never have I had such an intense spiritual experience.

I once recited this anecdote to Pangloss and his family. His response was, "Tu a vue le qualité de cette homme la?" (Have you seen the quality of this man here?)

Cousin (who's about to visit) is a scientist. Grounded in reality. His explanation is that a ray of sunlight caught my eye, and that it is entirely possible to find some feesable rationale.

In the words of Bill Bailey, "You weren't there man. You weren't there..."

On the Flex,

Maximus.