Religion Final (10 bulls out of 10)
Kaela Woolsey
RLS 200: World Religions
Alex Snow
Ten Bulls Paper/Short Story
“Not creating delusions is enlightenment. “-Bodhidharma
I once compared the pursuit of enlightenment to those that are always chasing storms, and those who simply watch the chase. There’s generally two groups of people, those that see the whole fiasco as something that is foolhardy. The latter group feels that humans can never truly catch up to a storm, and thinks that if some fortunate person gets too close they’ll possibly live to regret the endeavor. The former insists that if someone is determined enough, that if they have enough willpower, the storm can be caught, experienced. I guess that I’d fall into that way of thinking.
It was with that little metaphor in mind that I set out to achieve enlightenment. I wanted to achieve the impossible, or if not that, achieve what few managed to do. So with an actual goal in mind, I set out to achieve it. Of course, I set out in the most tedious way possible. I started to scour the city, picking up contacts, collecting little tidbits of information. It was all pretty noir. I thought it was neat. It was easy to pretend I was some sort of detective searching for the Maltese Beagle, or something. When I found an informant that seemed to know anything, I always got the third degree. “And why are you so desperate to find enlightenment?” So I would tell them about my goal, my passion to find something to set me apart from the rest, to chase the proverbial storm. And then they would laugh, and send me on my way.
Apparently, I had much to learn.
Much to learn about gathering informants, apparently. Wasn’t it their job to, I don’t know... Inform?
Finally, I caught wind of a seedy little shop bookshop downtown. Apparently, the owner could point me in the right direction. So, I picked my way down to the place, passing squalid alleyways, messy streets, and people that could be considered completely depraved. The poor people were practically dying on the street. When I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore, I reached the bookshop.
It was, in fact, ‘seedy’. It made me wonder if the store actually dealt in books, or if it was secretly some part of some crime ring. Hopefully, my imagination wouldn’t get away from me any longer. A young man was there, in his late twenties, poring over an old tome. He looked up when he spotted me, face splitting into a wide grin. I had a feeling he wasn’t entirely pleasant. “Need help finding anything, or are you capable of looking for things on your own?” The was no need to look for subtext in the sentence. He was obviously trying for a insult.
I shrugged, “I was told you could help me ...get enlightened.” Oooh. That sounded like some cheesy scene in an after school special about drugs.
Another smirk from the guy, “Me? Help? I sincerely doubt it. I don’t know the first thing about that sort of experience.” Well, was the whole trip a bust? “I can, however, give you a hint. You’ll have to buy it off me, of course. I’m running a business, you know.”
He stood up without listening for an answer, heading into the back room. I could see him rummaging through piles in the back until he found something stashed away in a dusty box. I was starting to wonder if enlightenment was some sort of slang for...something else. Smirking, the boy was back, shoving a weathered map and a pamphlet in my hands. I glanced down at the materials expecting to see some sort of “road to the stars” tourist map.
Nope, it was just a normal map, a bit outdated. I glanced back up at him dubiously. His lips were still quirked into a Chesire Cat grin. I suspected he took pleasure in my obvious discomfort. “Look, that’ll show you were to go. It’s a start, right? You don’t want me thinking you’re ungrateful, right? I’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get that map. It’s magical.”
My ears perked at the last bit, “Really?”
He laughed, only enforcing my suspions about his sadistic tendencies, “No, not really. Unless you’ve managed to live under a rock, and happen to think printing presses are magical.”
I could only grit my teeth through his abuse. “Yeah, thanks for your help.” It was all probably complete bullshit. Shoving a few dollars into his hand, I turned to leave.
“I wouldn’t thank me. They’re only tools, after all. Tools are only as good at the person that weilds them. Oh, and I’m assuming you’ll be back for your change later.” He said, jovially. I sincerely doubted it. He continued, “No really, you’ll be back. Everyone comes back sooner or later.”
The guy was thoroughly creepy, and I couldn’t exit fast enough. Once outside, I sat down on the shop's stoop, poring over the map. Certain portions were damaged by time or water, others marked lightly with pencil or pen. I frowned thoughtfully, locating the nearest mark on the map. It looked like I was right on top of the place marked "1". Lucky me. Wondering if I was supposed to follow the map in chronological order, I searched for two. Apparently it was only a few blocks away, so I set off, poring through the other packet as I walked. The 10 bulls by Kakuan? What an odd piece of literature, right? I started to read it, so engrossed in the activity I almost forgot I was multitasking, and had to backtrack a few blocks.
Imagine my surprise when all my current leads dropped off at point "2" on the map? I was about to go complain to the shopkeeper about ripping me off. I searched EVERYWHERE in that area, and still, nothing. I slumped down on a bench, glowering down at my packet. Really, if there was a towel around, It'd toss it. I'd done enough looking, I'd find another goal besides enlightenment. I was starting to suspect it was overrated anyway. I focused on the ground, watching scraps of paper blow by. By my foot, a trail of tiny ants idled by. At least it looked like idling from my vantage point. For all I knew, they were going at a maddening pace.
Then something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Footprints splashed across the pavement like paint on a canvas. The crazy part was the fact that no body was attached to said prints. Fascinating as that was, I had no way of telling if that was going to help with my enlightenment. As alien as the experience was, it felt familiar, like a path that I'd tread countless times before. Curiosity piqued, I followed them down an alleyway, catching glimpses of white up ahead. Unfortunately, it was never more than a glimpse. I kept pace with the specter through the back alleys of the city, straining to get a good look, all to no avail. Every once in a while the thing would pause to look around, and every time it did so I thought I could see the thing clearly, I couldn't pinpoint the features. It seemed like bad photo manipulation, faces on top of other faces, melding into one big blur that hurt my eyes. What felt like hours later, the specter stopped, turning around to face me.
I don't know what caused the horrified feeling I felt when I stared the ghost in the eyes. There was no reason, no gore, nothing intimidating about it. And yet I screamed louder than I thought humanly possible, and turned tail. In that moment, I wasn't sure I was ready to face what was in that alleyway. I ran away from that 'bull', muttering about enlightenment just like that fox griped about sour grapes in that one tale.
The shopkeeper was right in the end. I would end up in that shop again sooner or later. I just settled on later. Much later. 'Next lifetime' later. Not like I could remember that sort of thing. The shopkeeper hadn't changed any, and in retrospect I would find myself wondering if he was actually real, or some illusion I had concocted. Smiling broadly, he greeted me like an old friend, handing me some spare change. "I take it you're back for the same reason, then?" He asked, innocently before grabbing a map and a pamphlet. Clueless, I could only stare. I couldn't remember my earlier mishaps, but that didn't phase him at all. "So, have you figured out where you screwed up?" He asked, sitting me down at a nearby table. At his urging I opened up the packet. It was the 10 Bulls by Kakuan. How weird was that? The whole situation was almost like Deja vu. "You're not leaving until you tell me what you think of that." And I knew this guy meant business, so I sat down to pore through the document.
The first five seemed fairly straightforward to me for some reason, but the last gave me a bit of a headache. I hadn't covered those in any of my philosophy classes! "I assume this is about the enlightenment issue I asked you about?" He shrugged, which probably meant a yes given his character. "So, a brief guess of six? Uh...I'm guessing the bull means something like your mind or body, the two work together at point six?" He didn't really say anything encouraging. "In seven, the two are one, and the mind has moved on?" This is tough. I felt like I was asking questions, and not answering any. "So, the bull is pretty much tame...and in eight, for both to transcend you need to detach from everything, including the search for enlightenment and praise. Your condition is always changing, and everything is one." Again, tough. Sometimes the metaphor was unclear. This was why I preferred prose. It wasn't as pretty as poetry, but made more sense to me. Why was this guy doing this? And why was she answering his questions? "Uh...second to last one...you're in a state of enlightenment, or at least observation and can see how the world works, and how everything is interconnected. After you go back into the world, you're outside state doesn't match your inner being in the slightest, and even though you look poor, you simply see the world in a different way than everyone else." I was scrambling for information to tell him at this point, pulling things out of what felt like air. "Is that good?"
Another shrug. This guy wasn't fond of emotional investment apparently. "I guess you'll see, won't you? Funny that you skipped the first few, isn't it?" And with that he ushered me out of his shop and onto the street. I glancing down at the map he had handed me, befuddled. It looked like the shop I was standing in front of had been marked with a "1" on the map. I wondered where number 2 was
RLS 200: World Religions
Alex Snow
Ten Bulls Paper/Short Story
“Not creating delusions is enlightenment. “-Bodhidharma
I once compared the pursuit of enlightenment to those that are always chasing storms, and those who simply watch the chase. There’s generally two groups of people, those that see the whole fiasco as something that is foolhardy. The latter group feels that humans can never truly catch up to a storm, and thinks that if some fortunate person gets too close they’ll possibly live to regret the endeavor. The former insists that if someone is determined enough, that if they have enough willpower, the storm can be caught, experienced. I guess that I’d fall into that way of thinking.
It was with that little metaphor in mind that I set out to achieve enlightenment. I wanted to achieve the impossible, or if not that, achieve what few managed to do. So with an actual goal in mind, I set out to achieve it. Of course, I set out in the most tedious way possible. I started to scour the city, picking up contacts, collecting little tidbits of information. It was all pretty noir. I thought it was neat. It was easy to pretend I was some sort of detective searching for the Maltese Beagle, or something. When I found an informant that seemed to know anything, I always got the third degree. “And why are you so desperate to find enlightenment?” So I would tell them about my goal, my passion to find something to set me apart from the rest, to chase the proverbial storm. And then they would laugh, and send me on my way.
Apparently, I had much to learn.
Much to learn about gathering informants, apparently. Wasn’t it their job to, I don’t know... Inform?
Finally, I caught wind of a seedy little shop bookshop downtown. Apparently, the owner could point me in the right direction. So, I picked my way down to the place, passing squalid alleyways, messy streets, and people that could be considered completely depraved. The poor people were practically dying on the street. When I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore, I reached the bookshop.
It was, in fact, ‘seedy’. It made me wonder if the store actually dealt in books, or if it was secretly some part of some crime ring. Hopefully, my imagination wouldn’t get away from me any longer. A young man was there, in his late twenties, poring over an old tome. He looked up when he spotted me, face splitting into a wide grin. I had a feeling he wasn’t entirely pleasant. “Need help finding anything, or are you capable of looking for things on your own?” The was no need to look for subtext in the sentence. He was obviously trying for a insult.
I shrugged, “I was told you could help me ...get enlightened.” Oooh. That sounded like some cheesy scene in an after school special about drugs.
Another smirk from the guy, “Me? Help? I sincerely doubt it. I don’t know the first thing about that sort of experience.” Well, was the whole trip a bust? “I can, however, give you a hint. You’ll have to buy it off me, of course. I’m running a business, you know.”
He stood up without listening for an answer, heading into the back room. I could see him rummaging through piles in the back until he found something stashed away in a dusty box. I was starting to wonder if enlightenment was some sort of slang for...something else. Smirking, the boy was back, shoving a weathered map and a pamphlet in my hands. I glanced down at the materials expecting to see some sort of “road to the stars” tourist map.
Nope, it was just a normal map, a bit outdated. I glanced back up at him dubiously. His lips were still quirked into a Chesire Cat grin. I suspected he took pleasure in my obvious discomfort. “Look, that’ll show you were to go. It’s a start, right? You don’t want me thinking you’re ungrateful, right? I’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get that map. It’s magical.”
My ears perked at the last bit, “Really?”
He laughed, only enforcing my suspions about his sadistic tendencies, “No, not really. Unless you’ve managed to live under a rock, and happen to think printing presses are magical.”
I could only grit my teeth through his abuse. “Yeah, thanks for your help.” It was all probably complete bullshit. Shoving a few dollars into his hand, I turned to leave.
“I wouldn’t thank me. They’re only tools, after all. Tools are only as good at the person that weilds them. Oh, and I’m assuming you’ll be back for your change later.” He said, jovially. I sincerely doubted it. He continued, “No really, you’ll be back. Everyone comes back sooner or later.”
The guy was thoroughly creepy, and I couldn’t exit fast enough. Once outside, I sat down on the shop's stoop, poring over the map. Certain portions were damaged by time or water, others marked lightly with pencil or pen. I frowned thoughtfully, locating the nearest mark on the map. It looked like I was right on top of the place marked "1". Lucky me. Wondering if I was supposed to follow the map in chronological order, I searched for two. Apparently it was only a few blocks away, so I set off, poring through the other packet as I walked. The 10 bulls by Kakuan? What an odd piece of literature, right? I started to read it, so engrossed in the activity I almost forgot I was multitasking, and had to backtrack a few blocks.
Imagine my surprise when all my current leads dropped off at point "2" on the map? I was about to go complain to the shopkeeper about ripping me off. I searched EVERYWHERE in that area, and still, nothing. I slumped down on a bench, glowering down at my packet. Really, if there was a towel around, It'd toss it. I'd done enough looking, I'd find another goal besides enlightenment. I was starting to suspect it was overrated anyway. I focused on the ground, watching scraps of paper blow by. By my foot, a trail of tiny ants idled by. At least it looked like idling from my vantage point. For all I knew, they were going at a maddening pace.
Then something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Footprints splashed across the pavement like paint on a canvas. The crazy part was the fact that no body was attached to said prints. Fascinating as that was, I had no way of telling if that was going to help with my enlightenment. As alien as the experience was, it felt familiar, like a path that I'd tread countless times before. Curiosity piqued, I followed them down an alleyway, catching glimpses of white up ahead. Unfortunately, it was never more than a glimpse. I kept pace with the specter through the back alleys of the city, straining to get a good look, all to no avail. Every once in a while the thing would pause to look around, and every time it did so I thought I could see the thing clearly, I couldn't pinpoint the features. It seemed like bad photo manipulation, faces on top of other faces, melding into one big blur that hurt my eyes. What felt like hours later, the specter stopped, turning around to face me.
I don't know what caused the horrified feeling I felt when I stared the ghost in the eyes. There was no reason, no gore, nothing intimidating about it. And yet I screamed louder than I thought humanly possible, and turned tail. In that moment, I wasn't sure I was ready to face what was in that alleyway. I ran away from that 'bull', muttering about enlightenment just like that fox griped about sour grapes in that one tale.
The shopkeeper was right in the end. I would end up in that shop again sooner or later. I just settled on later. Much later. 'Next lifetime' later. Not like I could remember that sort of thing. The shopkeeper hadn't changed any, and in retrospect I would find myself wondering if he was actually real, or some illusion I had concocted. Smiling broadly, he greeted me like an old friend, handing me some spare change. "I take it you're back for the same reason, then?" He asked, innocently before grabbing a map and a pamphlet. Clueless, I could only stare. I couldn't remember my earlier mishaps, but that didn't phase him at all. "So, have you figured out where you screwed up?" He asked, sitting me down at a nearby table. At his urging I opened up the packet. It was the 10 Bulls by Kakuan. How weird was that? The whole situation was almost like Deja vu. "You're not leaving until you tell me what you think of that." And I knew this guy meant business, so I sat down to pore through the document.
The first five seemed fairly straightforward to me for some reason, but the last gave me a bit of a headache. I hadn't covered those in any of my philosophy classes! "I assume this is about the enlightenment issue I asked you about?" He shrugged, which probably meant a yes given his character. "So, a brief guess of six? Uh...I'm guessing the bull means something like your mind or body, the two work together at point six?" He didn't really say anything encouraging. "In seven, the two are one, and the mind has moved on?" This is tough. I felt like I was asking questions, and not answering any. "So, the bull is pretty much tame...and in eight, for both to transcend you need to detach from everything, including the search for enlightenment and praise. Your condition is always changing, and everything is one." Again, tough. Sometimes the metaphor was unclear. This was why I preferred prose. It wasn't as pretty as poetry, but made more sense to me. Why was this guy doing this? And why was she answering his questions? "Uh...second to last one...you're in a state of enlightenment, or at least observation and can see how the world works, and how everything is interconnected. After you go back into the world, you're outside state doesn't match your inner being in the slightest, and even though you look poor, you simply see the world in a different way than everyone else." I was scrambling for information to tell him at this point, pulling things out of what felt like air. "Is that good?"
Another shrug. This guy wasn't fond of emotional investment apparently. "I guess you'll see, won't you? Funny that you skipped the first few, isn't it?" And with that he ushered me out of his shop and onto the street. I glancing down at the map he had handed me, befuddled. It looked like the shop I was standing in front of had been marked with a "1" on the map. I wondered where number 2 was