It was Darryl who first keyed me in to the heart and soul at the center of Zen. Darryl was an amateur motorcycle mechanic, having recently ridden his bike to Bozeman and back, solo. I was in the middle of law school, with not enough time for treatises, what’s to say of pleasure reading. Still, I had my unread copy on the shelf, collecting dust, next to Infinite Jest and other books that I didn’t want to read, necessarily, but wanted to have read.

Darryl pointed to my copy excitedly. I confessed I hadn’t cracked it. But by his enthusiasm, I guessed the book had quite a bit to do with his main hobby. His description will always stick with me. “It’s not really about motorcycles. It’s really about everything else.”

I dismissed this at the time. What could be more important than studying this case, this book, this coursework, this vocation right now? What power could one book hold?