Thu, 2008-06-12 13:28 — ABN
Leslie Harlib
Article Launched: 06/13/2008
...With such a broad view of how Zen practice can catalyze human beings of every religion and in any profession, it's not surprising that what fascinates the always-busy Fischer about Odysseus is his humanity.
"He's a regular person. He screws up. He succumbs to egotism and lust. That's what makes it so great for describing the spiritual life of real people like us," he said.
"We're more like Odysseus than Jesus or Buddha. It's impossible to squeeze ourselves into the model of someone unreasonably good. But literature, especially when it's spiritually oriented, offers a more fruitful context for developing our own spiritual life. With 'The Odyssey,' we can see ourselves in it. Here's some poor schlemiel trying to get home. He's been to war and he's trying to come back and regain his household and his family."
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