December 17, 2005
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Fade to Black
“…that
ineffable constellation of talents that makes the player of rank: a
gift for conceiving abstract schematic possibilities; a sense of
mathematical poetry in the light of which the infinite chaos of
probability and permutation is crystallized under the pressure of
intense concentration into geometric blossoms; the ruthless focus of
force on the subtlest weakness of an opponent.”– Trevanian,
Shibumi
“‘Haven’t there been splendidly elegant colors in Japan since ancient times?’‘Even black has various subtle shades,’ Sosuke nodded.”
– Yasunari Kawabata,
The Old Capital“The Zen disciple sits for long hours silent and motionless, with
his eyes closed. Presently he enters a state of impassivity, free from
all ideas and all thoughts. He departs from the self and enters the
realm of nothingness. This is not the nothingness or the emptiness of
the West. It is rather the reverse, a universe of the spirit in which
everything communicates freely with everything, transcending bounds,
limitless.”– Yasunari Kawabata,
Nobel lecture, 1968
