A man can only stay down so long before he rises or loses everything that he is. - Steve Perry

That, of course, was the problem with zen. Mountains were mountains, streams were streams, and forests were forests, except when they were not. And then were again. To someone who knew zen, on the proper intuitive level, it all made perfect sense. To someone who did not know zen, it made no sense at all.

Khadaji only nodded. It didn’t matter to him if he passed the test or not. He wasn’t here to get a degree; he was here to learn.

Who you are comes from who you were. You can’t escape your past; it follows you like a shadow.