Page 42

By Jack Joseph Smith

RUNNING BACK A man goes through many cycles in his life, and in the end is a Tiebetan monk. Before... he dies; he tells the most holy monk of his ORDER, that he is going to go back to the part of his world strongest in his memory. The most holy monk says to him, if you go BACK; you will have to begin here the next time. And the man of many cycles and many youths, replies... I know; but I am not ready for Heaven yet.

Original Scan

AI Interpretation

GPT

A reincarnation parable: a Tibetan monk chooses to run back toward the part of life strongest in memory instead of accepting heaven.

The page treats memory as a rival eternity. 'Running back' is not noble progress but chosen repetition: the self would rather re-enter its most charged earthly attachment than dissolve into final peace.

Claude

'RUNNING BACK' is a short prose parable: a man who has gone 'through many cycles' ends as a 'Tiebetan monk' and tells the most holy monk of his 'ORDER' that he will go back to 'the part of his world strongest in his memory'. Warned that he 'will have to begin here the next time', he replies 'I know; but I am not ready for Heaven yet.'

The parable sets memory against eternity and lets memory win: running back is chosen repetition, not progress. The holy monk names the cost plainly, and the man accepts all his 'many youths' again for one remembered place. The last line is almost a joke in its bluntness, which is how the piece slips in a sincere refusal of transcendence.