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Thank you for spending time with the Antagonistic Buddha.
Who is the Antagonistic Buddha?
I was born small, but quickly grew. my family was related to me. They loved me, and I them. These things are true.
From before I could walk, I was trained in the skills of my ancestors: martial arts, philosophy, and double-entry bookkeeping. Then, I met the first of several figures who would shape my life. A wandering, blind masseur touched me -- as no one has touched me since. I took up my pilgrim's staff and left home to cure the spiritual blindness that afflicted me.
I continued my formal schooling in the mountains and there met two more mentors. One was a Drunken Master. He was the first among equals in a community of Drunken Scholars. He and I sat for long hours discussing the fabric of the Cosmos.
As I walked through the mountain forests, contemplating the serenity of nature, I encountered my next mentor: an old, gnarled warrior who introduced me to higher forms of combat. He was a horror with his prominent, hooked nose, claw-like hands and a pet crow that would perch upon his shoulders.
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my paper, then I was free.
Although I returned home with hopes of setting roots and contributing to society in the ordinary fashion, I soon found my ways at odds with my former friends. My time away had changed me. But as the saying goes: "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
While working as a short order cook on the boardwalk of an Atlantic Coast resort, I met the most important of my teachers.
She was a handsome woman with sparkling eyes and black hair just beginning to gray. She ordered a Pepsi and French Fries. I handed her the order and asked if she wanted anything else. She smiled and finished pouring vinegar over the steaming, hand-cut potatoes. Then she said, "Yes. Would YOU like fries with that?" I understood the futility of my existence; I undid my apron and quit on the spot.
I will not impose tales of our intimacy upon you, but suffice it to say that we shared far more than the simple fast food I sold her. She was wise and shared her knowledge and experience with me. We spent all summer together; we discussed the being of things, cause and effect, and meditated.
Early that October, as the last vestiges of the tourist season waned, I awoke from my meditation and realized I had touched gentle Divinity. I knew in that instant I would never see my wise sage woman again, and so I assumed the title conferred upon me in the vision: "Antagonistic Buddha, the Great Sage."
I then spent years wandering the world, learning the various martial arts -- mastering them all with ease. Now I shall share my hard won knowledge with you...
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