Spiritual Disappointment

JFKU, Orinda, California
May 23, `80

First off, I like my new tent. It's easy to put up, easy to carry,
and gives every indication I will stay dry when necessary. It looks
like, once again, you get what you pay for.

Okay, JFKU:

Modern Philosophy—taught by a very intelligent man, not in tune with
"awareness," or even in tune with JFKU. I didn't have to leave CMU
(whoops, I just thought that last gust of wind was going to blow my
tent down) to learn what was being taught in that class.

Prayer And Meditation—taught by a man who spent a year in a Chan
Monastery; he encouraged dialogue in class (the class didn’t respond though).
The Professor, in reply to a student's question, said the most important thing
that was said in the class when he replied back to the student, "If spiritual
development is what you're after then you're in the wrong place,"
--meaning, I guess, that JFKU was a university not a monastery.

Two stray dogs just discovered my tent. A German Shepherd and a black
Boxer were frolicking in the stream just below my tent when the
Shepherd decided to stick his head inside my unzipped tent screen.
Upon a friendly greeting from me, I was hard pressed to keep the dogs
out of my tent. That was a pleasant distraction, but now, in addition
to my own smelly body, my tent is full of swampy dog odor.

Where was I? The first thing I did upon arriving at JFKU was to pay a
visit to the bookstore. I was disappointed in the lack of scholarly
books. I checked out all three of the programs and I was not impressed
with any of the required readings.

Time for one more tortilla potato salad sandwich. That was good-- just
the right amount of Tabasco.