The Defcon crowd made for an interesting mix. It had its fair share of mohawk haircuts that would make a rainbow proud, along with tattoos and piercings but it mostly looked like a campus of geeks let loose in a Las Vegas hotel to do what they consider fun: decipher mind-bending puzzles, starting wi...

For all of Knecht's wisdom he lacked common sense and so wasn't prepared for an encounter with his own physical limits? Wisdom, lacking a bond with at-one-ment, is at best merely a Glass Bead Game. Elder Brother knew this. At worst it is a highly unstable element which can lead to catastrophic circ...

Good for you, Lan! Please consider this: Feng Shui was actually a 'building code' incorporating specific areas of the cosmos in the initial 'blueprint' phase of construction. Today we have a westernized version whereby you can change some drapes and the position of your furniture to get the desired ...

Murrill, you are a jewel..... It seems to me that he advocates for productive debate. Just as the inhale & exhale depend upon each other (as Chapter 3 describes) so does reason & experience. Reason alone can reamin untested and gilded. Similarly, experience can spin its wheels and remain not...

All I'm gonna say is that your instincts are true.....read on!

Murrill, I think some of the 'lurkers' have benefited from your discussion points...fire away!!!

Hey Linda, nice to see you.....yes, the drama is really just beginning....

Thanks Murrill!

I took the weekend off, how are we doing with the book???? Everyone through Chapter 3???

I realize this is not exactly 'light summer reading'.....

Thank you both for your excellent background info. The true genius of Hesse is his ability to synthesize thousands of years of thought into a (somewhat) easily digestible format....

To be honest I was a little surprised that Knecht issued the invitation at all

Hold that thought, at the end of the book we should discuss this and other concerns....notice the narrator doesn't cite the source of this information...and it certainly seems incongruous....