The Razor's Edge

"The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard." - from the Katha Upanishad

It was in a pile of old paperbacks that I was giving away. I had not read the novel in decades, since the late ‘70’s when I was first in graduate school. Apparently, I have dragged it through three apartments, four rectories, and my own house.

My thesis was about the Asian influence on 20th century American literature, and the novel is considered the pro…