practice, suffering, and the gradual build up of enlightenment are
　　　　  intensified and foreshortened as the former ego-centered paradigm is
　　　　  cast off in favor of the "without-context" of Satori. This quiet,
　　　　  still, yet intensely suffering period is what we see before us on
　　　　  stage. As with Zen practice, this critical moment is brought on by
　　　　  intensity of repetition, on both large and small scales. For Zen,
　　　　  repetition is the key to perfecting any act, be it zazen (sitting in
　　　　  the lotus position and concentrating on Mujo -- no mind, or
　　　　  no-thing), martial arts, or even breathing. Perfection comes through
　　　　  repetition,(11) and only then can enlightenment come. Attempting to
　　　　  achieve Mujo (or "without mind") purposefully(12) requires endless
　　　　  repetitive practice, as any form of striving for, or desiring the
　　　　  enlightened state will invariably call the ego (or active conscious
　　　　  mind) into play, which will create a state of wanting or waiting for
　　　　  "something" to happen, destroying the subject's chance of finding a
　　　　  consciousness beyond consciousness.
　　　　  Finally, after "revolving it all" in an endless series of ritual
　　　　  mental iterations (analogous to May's physical pacing in Footfalls),
　　　　  the student ceases to wait for something to happen while sitting in
　　　　  zazen.
　　　　  No longer sitting to be enlightened, one merely sits to sit. Feeling
　　　　  almost dead in any case, no longer protecting any part of the self,
　　　　  the disciple sits with abandonment, totally unconcerned with the
　　　　  consequences. At this point, the Great Doubt may arise: a
　　　　  still-point of terrible tension in which one gives oneself up to the
　　　　  feeling of nowhere to go.(13)
　　　　  At this point, scales of time and space cease to exist in a
　　　　  logically connected, contiguous sense. And once this state comes to
　　　　  pass, the Great Death can occur, allowing enlightenment to fill the
　　　　  void. It is only through repetition of "right action," and
　　　　  especially of zazen, that one can purposely attain the state of
　　　　  Satori, or Nirvana. There is no great mystery, then, why Zen monks
　　　　  spend their entire lives repeating the zazen meditation and
　　　　  question-answer periods many hours a day: to achieve the new vision
　　　　  of the world which enlightenment affords, any cost is deemed
　　　　  acceptable.
　　　　  As far as Ohio Impromptu is concerned, the Zen practice of ritual
　　　　  repetition can help to explain the ostensibly repeated reading of
　　　　  the "sad tale," as well as R's repetition of certain pieces of the