behind many years earlier. He slips it on, and falls to the
ground with an enormous thud. The sumo wrestler is
rendered unconscious and lies there, silent and still. Just
when you think he has taken his last breath, the wrestler
awakens, perhaps stirred by the fragrance of some fresh
yellow roses blooming nearby. Energized, the wrestler
jumps swiftly to his feet and intuitively looks to his left.
He is startled at what he sees. Through the bushes at the
very edge of the garden he observes a long winding path
covered by millions of sparkling diamonds. Something
seems to instruct the wrestler to take the path, and to his
credit, he does. This path leads him down the road of
everlasting joy and eternal bliss.
After hearing this strange tale high atop the Himalayas,
seated next to a monk who had seen the torchlight of
enlightenment first-hand, Julian told me that he was disappointed.
Quite simply, he said that he thought he was going to hear
something earth-shattering, knowledge that would stir him to
action, perhaps even move him to tears. Instead, all he heard was
a silly story about a sumo wrestler and a lighthouse.
Yogi Raman detected his dismay. "Never overlook the power
of simplicity," Julian was told.
"This story may not be the sophisticated discourse that you
expected," said the sage, "but there is a universe of sensibility in
its message and a purity in its purpose. From the day you arrived,
I have thought long and hard as to how I would share our
knowledge with you. At first I considered giving you a series of
lectures over a period of months but realized that this traditional
approach was ill-suited to the magical nature of the wisdom you