Siddhartha's Spiritual Journey: A Story of Enlightenment

Wandering into the Forest

1 Siddhartha wandered into the forest, already far from the town

2 and knew only one thing – that he could not go back, that the

3 life he had lived for many years was past, tasted and drained

4 to a degree of nausea. The songbird was dead; its death, which

5 he had dreamt about, was the bird in his own heart. He was

6 deeply entangled in Sansara, he had drawn nausea and death to

7 himself from all sides, like a sponge that absorbs water until

8 it is full. He was full of ennui, full of misery, full of

9 death; there was nothing left in the world that could attract

10 him, that could give him pleasure and solace.

11 He wished passionately for oblivion, to be at rest, to be

12 dead. If only a flash of lightning would strike him! If only a

13 tiger would come and eat him! If there were only some wine,

14 some poison, that would give him oblivion, that would make him

15 forget, that would make him sleep and never awaken! Was there

16 any kind of filth with which he had not besmirched himself,

17 any sin and folly which he had not committed, any stain upon

18 his soul for which he alone had not been responsible? Was it

19 then still possible to live? Was it possible to take in breath

20 again and again, to breathe out, to feel hunger, to eat again,

21 to sleep again, to lie with women again? Was this cycle not

22 exhausted and finished for him?

23 Siddhartha reached the long river in the wood, the same river

24 across which a ferryman had once taken him when he was still a

25 young man and had come from Gotama’s town. He stopped at this

26 river and stood hesitatingly on the bank. Fatigue and hunger

27 had weakened him. Why should he go any farther, where, and for

28 what purpose? There was no more purpose, there was nothing

29 more than a deep, painful longing to shake off this whole

30 confused dream, to spit out this stale wine, to make an end of

31 this bitter, painful life.

32 We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we

33 begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to

34 achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of

35 our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this

36 great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties

37 but as one nation. The agenda I will lay out this evening is

38 not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda

39 of the American people.

40 Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend

41 American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers; to

42 rebuild and revitalize our nation’s infrastructure; to reduce

43 the price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an

44 immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure;

45 and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America’s interests

46 first. There is a new opportunity in American politics, if

47 only we have the courage together to seize it. Victory is not

48 winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country.

49 This year America will recognize two important anniversaries

50 that show us the majesty of America’s mission, and the power

51 of American pride.

52 In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General

53 Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Great Crusade – the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II. On D-Day, June 6th 54 1944,

55 15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more

56 stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from

57 tyranny. Here with us tonight are three of those incredible

58 heroes: Private First Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant

59 Irving Locker, and Sergeant Herman Zeitchik. Gentlemen, we

60 salute you.

61 In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots

62 flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant the

63 American flag on the face of the moon. Half a century later,

64 we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted

65 that flag: Buzz Aldrin. This year, American astronauts will go

66 back to space on American rockets.

67 FLB: Alright. My understanding is, Detective Fuhrman, you have

68 never held in your hand a piece of paper on which these

69 words are written. You’ve only discussed it.

70 MF: That’s correct.

71 FLB: Now you notice that in the second paragraph it says that

72 the author glanced up at the television. ‘I was quite

73 shocked to see that Officer Fuhrman was the man I had the

74 misfortune of meeting.’ You were on television prior to

75 this summer in connection with this case, were you not?

76 MF: Yes.

77 FLB: And your testimony as a witness, you learned, was quite

78 widely watched in this State and others, did you not?

79 MF: Yes.

80 FLB: Okay. You notice that the author says that she has left a

81 message on Mr Cochran’s answering service.

82 MF: Yes.

83 FLB: Okay. Next paragraph Mr. Harris. Between 1985 and 1986

84 she said she worked as a real estate agent in Redondo

85 Beach, for Century 21, Bob Maher Realty. Now out of

86 business. Number one, when you were at the recruiting

87 station did you become acquainted with a Century 21 real

88 estate office located approximate to the recruiting

89 station?

90 MF: Did I become...

91 FLB: ...familiar with the fact that there was such an office?

92 MF: I think there was one on the second floor, yes.

93 FLB: Did you have to go through the office to get to it or was

94 there separate stairs?

95 MF: I don’t remember that at all.

96 FLB: Was there a coffee shop close by to these two offices?

97 MF: A coffee shop in that small shopping area?

98 FLB: Yeah.

99 MF: Not that I remember, no.

100 FLB: You don’t. Okay. Did you ever determine whether or not in

101 1985 and [198]6 a Kathleen Bell had been employed at the

102 office described in the letter?

103 MF: Confirmed that she had been employed there?

104 FLB: Yeah.

105 MF: I never knew a Kathleen Bell, but no.

106 FLB: No. Did you ever make inquiry after you learned of this

107 letter to find out whether there was a Kathleen Bell

108 employed as she says at that time, at the Century 21

109 office?

110 MF: I did not.

111 FLB: Did you cause your lawyer, Mr. Tourtelot, to do that?