The Mystic Waitress of Harvard Square

When I arrived at Harvard University to complete a Master’s degree in physics, my fellow-students assumed, that because I was from India, I had mystical wisdom on tap. In reality I possessed no more mystical insight than they did. But so as not to lose face, I enrolled myself in a course in mysticism at the Harvard Divinity School.

This course often left me exhausted and puzzled. And so after the class, and groping for light, I would head for Harvard Square to my favourite vegetarian restaurant to regain body-consciousness. During the course of my meal I would often share my perplexities with my American waitress.

Written in the tradition of Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, what follows is an account of my encounters with this mystic waitress of Harvard Square.