Satori.

Here's the dictionary.com definition of this word:

sa·to·ri ( P ) Pronunciation Key (sä-tôr, -tr, s-)
n. Buddhism
A spiritual awakening sought in Zen Buddhism, often coming suddenly.

I've come across this term many times as I read about Eastern philosophies. Though my core beliefs are more closely aligned to Daoism, I have a keen interest in Zen. The concept of satori is a curious one, and it's only recently I came to understand it. You can't go questing after enlightenment, it just happens. There's plenty of stories where something innocuous occurs to a person, and they become instantly enlightened. My favourite Zen story, however is this:

There is an Indian story of a marvelous medicine that could cure all ills. However, it only worked if you didn't think of a monkey when you swallowed it.

Always makes me smile, that.

I watched National Treasure the other day. My sister told me it was pap - somewhat enjoyable pap - but still pap. Undaunted, I went ahead and watched it anyway, because that's the sort of rebel I am. And you know, I really liked it! Sure, there were massive plot holes and cheesy dialogue, but it was so much fun! An adventure! I love adventures! Especially anything that mentions history and secrets and freemasons and Templar and the Illuminati! I'm no conspiracy buff, but I am genuinely interested in these groups from a historical perspective.

I also read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code yesterday. Yes, I finally took the plunge, despite resisting for a long time. As with National Treasure, which closely resembles this book, I really enjoyed it. Again, there were massive plot holes and it had a cheesy writing style, but it's fun and I do like adventures!

Most of us won't ever have an adventure like the characters in National Treasure or The Da Vinci Code, but we can still have our fun. Some time ago I stumbled across a wonderful little website called The Stone. It's a puzzle game where you have to interpret the images and clues to uncover the answer, utilising all the resources the internet offers you. Access to the site required the purchase of an eponymous stone, but there were a few free puzzles to try out. Imagine my surprise when I had a look here the other day to find it was now free for all to play! There are around 200 puzzles on there, some better than others, all interesting, and some will leave you stumped for a long time. It's worth it though, as when inspiration finally hits, you wonder how it took you so long to get in the first place.

Satori is a wonderful thing.