an old writer and his words

  • YOU ARE HERE

    You find yourself nowhere, and notin the middle of it but on the peripherywaiting for an exit, unsure howyou arrived here or why you stayed.This could be a wonderland but there isno rabbit hole, and the cat curled in sleeplying at your feet has never been to Chesireand says she has no desire to ever…

    Lou Faber

  • AKASAKA

    It sits off an alleythat winds off an alleyhalfway up the hillyou climb from Akasakato Ropponggi, cursing the layoutof the subway at the endof a too long day of meetings.There are no plastic samplesin a glass case outside the doorjust a t-shirt and beer mug, forribs and fires don’t translate wellto polystyrene and the loudoldies…

    Lou Faber

  • TWO THAT AREN’T IRISH

    There once was a lad from Nantucketwho stuck his foot into a buckethe fell to the floorhit his head on the doorand touching it, said this is where I struck it. There once was a young lad from Des Moinesquite adept at the flipping of coinshe fleeced all his friendsleft them all at bitter endsand…

    Lou Faber

  • THE SUTRAS OF COMPLETE AWAKENING

    When you sit on the cushiondo not open the doorto outside thoughts.If outside thoughts come indo not think of waysto make them departfor those effortsare outside thoughts.Just sit and the thoughtswill get bored and leave,just as they arrived. A reflection on case 45 of the Book of Equanimity (従容錄, Shōyōroku)

    Lou Faber

  • THE NEW GODS

    From their two-bedroom apartmenton the outer edge of Cupertino,the Gods evicted from Olympusare creating their pulsating metahell.They know how easily we, lemmingsenchanted by the sparkling void,offer ourselves up in sacrifice, alwayswanting still another gigabyte,entranced by the idea of the Deusex machina, blind to our own truth.They promise us eternity, a heavenof a parallel binary universe,redemption…

    Lou Faber

  • RAKUHO’S ACQUIESENCE

    When you are calledto sit before the masterwhat do you say to him?If you both sit in silencea great conversation transpires.If you ask him questionshe will have no answersand show you to the door. A reflection on Case 35 of the Book of Equanimity (従容錄, Shōyōroku)

    Lou Faber

  • JUST LIKE THAT

    “And just like that,” he said. “Just like that,” she replied. “Are you certain, I wouldn’t want to go off half cocked?” he asked. “I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t almost certain, would I,” was her retort. “But almost certain isn’t absolutely certain,” he noted. “As you well know, nothing is absolutely certain…

    Lou Faber

  • KYOZAN POINTS TO SNOW

    When you comesearching for a keyto unlock the doorto NirvanaI will ask youto completea simple task.All you need to dois go to the oceanand select the onedrop of water differentfrom all of the others. A reflection on Case 26 of the Book of Equanimity, 従容錄, Shōyōroku

    Lou Faber

  • LEFT HANGING

    Why is it that so many songwritershave an intense need, a desire really,to leave the listener wonderingin frustration at how the story ends. I can forgive Leonard Cohen for hisHallelujah for no one is quite certainhow many verses he wrote, althoughmore than 80 seems to be the number,so perhaps a missing one or tenconcludes the…

    Lou Faber

  • MY RABBI (PART 1)

    If you ask why I am a BuddhistI will tell you there are a myriadof possible reasons, choose one,or take this one, it fits nicely. I am in college, pulling my gradesup to mediocre, thoughts of medicinegone, law only faint on a distant horizona master’s degree away. I visit my childhood rabbi, a manwho has…

    Lou Faber