Christ, It's So Good To Be Alive.

What Are Clouds, But An Excuse For The Sky? What Is Life, But An Escape From Death?

How Baffling It Was That Even The Most Cunning And Clever People Would Frequently See Only What They Wanted To See, And Would Rarely Look Beyond The Thinnest Of Facades. Or They Would Ignore Reality, Dismissing It As The Facade. And Then, When Their Whole World Fell To Pieces...they Would Tear Their Topknots Or Rend Their Clothes And Bewail Their Karma, Blaming Gods Or Kami Or Luck Or Their Lords Or Husbands Or Vassals-anything Or Anyone-but Never Themselves.

Karma Is The Beginning Of Knowledge. Next Is Patience. Patience Is Very Important. The Strong Are The Patient Ones, Anjin-san. Patience Means Holding Back Your Inclination To The Seven Emotions: Hate, Adoration, Joy, Anxiety, Anger, Grief, Fear. If You Don't Give Way To The Seven, You're Patient, Then You'll Soon Understand All Manner Of Things And Be In Harmony With Eternity.

Blackthorne, Beside The Gates, Was Still Turmoiled By His Boundless Joy At Her Reprieve And He Remembered How His Own Will Had Been Stretched That Night Of His Near-seppuku, When He Had Had To Get Up As A Man And Walk Home As A Man Unsupported, And Became Samurai. And He Watched Her, Despising The Need For This Courage, Yet Understanding It, Even Honoring It.

The Scarcity Of Years Does Not Necessitate Lack Of Wisdom.