A young monk, from a foreign place, walked down the brick archway -- a walkway -- at UCLA. This building, this walkway -- so gorgeous, so civilized -- reminiscent of the mogul palaces -- heathens and invaders in his tradition -- but he loved the beauty and intricate carvings of those palaces in his homeland. "Ah UCLA is a gem of the west" he smiled. His small group -- not quite an entourage, beaming, bubbling, gleaming students -- all a buzz in ways he had not heard. Like nature had grown a new branch, new leaves, in Her magnificence, in such naturalness, it just all fit together.
A cement salesman, that new boy called him "leadfoot" zoomed down this freeway they call it, to the ocean -- ah, connecting me to my homeland. The same water, the same winds and breeze. This is unusual -- not like the beaches of Bombay or Madras -- a cliff of green lawn, above the ocean -- enabling one to see so far. Santa Monica. Saint Monica. Saint Monica. An Angel. Lovely. Lovely. Dogs running on the beach. The people here keep their dogs inside the house. And cuddle them like their children. How strange. How odd. But love is everywhere. Love even these little beasts. Its good. "What is that car? It looks like a big jitney from back home, all colored and streaming, and wild, like the offerings to ganesh and shiva blazening from jitneys -- but so big. and squarish." "Who are they?" "I think those are hippies." "Hippies?" "It says, what, um, "Mary Prankstat. Who is "Mary Prankstat." "Is she German?" "No its Marry Gangsters. Ha" -- the new young one laughed -- Bette Davis style. It was all weird swirling letters, in all the colors of the rainbow. "No, its "Merry Pranksters" see - its Merry Pranksters" "What is this?" One of the students spoke up -- the earnest one with frameless glasses, the younger brother, "they go around trying to blow peoples' mind -- that is they do crazy things that make no sense -- to liberate people from their rigid views". "Ah Liberation. Thats a good. And people take hold of this? They get surprised and shocked out of their thinking?" "Yes, they blow peoples mind." "Blow peoples mind? This is a good thing. Very much like the Upanishads. Going beyond mind. Very good. I like these mind blowers" "So in the west the path to liberation is blowing peoples minds. hmmmm. How to blow these westerners minds?" "like a circus" "yes very good, like a circus, clowns and lions and juggglers -- all together." "But more crazy. Things people would never suspect" "Ah, yes. Blow peoples minds. Dynomite. Crazy things. Yes, that is how the west shall be liberated. And then the Upanishads shall be seen in their full light. Very good. I Love LA"
