Lexington, South Carolina, USA–7:30 p. m. Someone knocks on my door. A young Western-looking man in his 20s is standing on the porch, wearing a bright work shirt. I ask, “What’s up? What’s going on?”
He says, “Have you read the Upanisads?”
I’m thinking,’What the heck is happening here? In the suburbs of Columbia, South Carolina, with nobody around on the street, a young guy I have never seen before comes to my door and asks me whether I have read the Upanisads.
He asks again, “I asked if you’ve


