Face Cards

I. A man comes home from a war which he has won. Things are not easy with him. He has trouble doing as he is told. He is unable to find a center. He is beset by trials disappointment and trouble. He wants to destroy things, yet he is afraid that he will destroy something of meaning or value. He works hard but his heart is hardly in it. He fears he will no longer be able to create anything of worth again. Ahead of him lies sudden misfortune, ruin and pain. He has a lot of money. His family and friends leave him alone now. He wishes he was proud of himself. He falls in love and becomes happy again.

II. Once, a man who worked in the food-service industry was also a buddha. This was in itself a dilemma. He understood the nature of heaven and earth, but he also had to deal with customers. His mother was a very successful business woman and although he had wanted to become a magician it was she who led him down the path of retail and got him a job in the outlet mall. Of course he became fantastically wealthy once he was appointed senior manager. This pleased his mother to see him mature and full in command. This gave him the confidence boost needed to shrug off this world of illusions. He died immediately and went to buddha-heaven, which is to say, of course, he went nowhere at all.