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THE
KNEE OF LISTENING
The Life and
Understanding
of
Franklin Jones
Copyright 1971 By Franklin Jones
All rights reserved
Epilogue: The Man of
Understanding
The man of understanding is not
entranced. He is not elsewhere. He is not having an
experience. He is not passionless and inoffensive. He is
awake. He is present. He knows no obstruction in the form of
mind, identity, differentiation and desire. He uses mind,
identity, differentiation and desire. He is passionate. His
quality is an offense to those who are entranced, elsewhere,
contained in the mechanics of experience, asleep, living as
various forms of identity, separation and dependence. He is
acceptable only to those who understand.
He may appear no different from any
other man. How could he appear otherwise? There is nothing
by which to appear except the qualities of life. He may
appear to have learned nothing. He may seem to be addicted
to every kind of foolishness and error. How could it be
otherwise? Understanding is not a different communication
than the ordinary. There is only the ordinary. There is no
special and exclusive communication that is the truth. There
is no exclusive state of truth. But there is the
understanding of the ordinary.
Therefore, the man of understanding
cannot be found. He cannot be followed. He can only be
understood as the ordinary. He is not spiritual. He is not
religious. He is not philosophical. He is not moral. He is
not fastidious, lean and lawful. He always appears to be the
opposite of what you are.
He always seems to sympathize with
what you deny. Therefore, at times and over time he appears
as every kind of persuasion. He is not consistent. He has no
image. At times he denies. At times he asserts. At times he
asserts what he has already denied. At times he denies what
he has already asserted. He is not useful. His teaching is
every kind of nonsense. His wisdom is vanished. Altogether,
that is his wisdom.
At last he represents no truth at
all. Therefore, his living coaxes everyone only to
understand. His existence denies every truth, every path by
which men depend on certain truths, certain experiences,
certain simulations of freedom and enjoyment. He is a
seducer, a madman, a hoax, a libertine, a fool, a moralist,
a sayer of truths, a bearer of all experience, a righteous
knave, a prince, a child, an old one, an ascetic, a god. He
demonstrates the futility of all things. Therefore, he makes
understanding the only possibility. And understanding makes
no difference at all. Except it is reality, which was
already the case.
Heartless one, Narcissus, friend,
loved one, he weeps for you to understand. After all of
this, why haven't you understood? The only thing you have
not done is understanding.
You have seen everything, but you
do not understand. Therefore, the man of understanding leaps
for joy that you have already understood. He looks at the
world and sees that every one and every thing has always
understood. He sees that there is only understanding. Thus,
the man of understanding is constantly happy with you. He is
overwhelmed with happiness. He says to you: See how there is
only this world of perfect enjoyment, where every one is
happy, and every thing is blissful. His heart is always
tearful with the endless happiness of the world.
He has grasped it, but no one is
interested. He is of interest to no one. He is fascinating.
He is unnoticed. Since no one understands, how could they
notice him? Because there is only understanding, he is
beloved, and no one comes to see him. Because there is only
truth, he is likely to become famous. Since there is only
joy, he will not be remembered. Because you have already
understood, you find it necessary to touch his hand. Since
you love so much and are not understood, you find it
possible to touch his ears. He smiles at you. You notice it.
Everything has already died. This is the other
world.
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