In reading this book, I feel that it would be a big misunderstanding or mistake to evaluate the material through a one-dimensional aphorism-by-aphorism rendering. True, the reader can perhaps transit into a deeper understanding of Buddhism by the mosaic of topics covered by my aphorisms, but that is ultimately not the purpose of this book.

The real purpose, in inviting the reader to step back and contemplate the museum, rather than the collection of artworks, is to put forward a model or system of allegory for describing the journey of a philosopher, from their very genesis as an ordinary citizen within a platonic cave-city, to their dangerous but courageous journey of symbolic asceticism outside the societal city walls into the desolate desert of Samsara.

Why does a traveller embark on such a journey when it involves leaving the comfort of the city? Well, as free spirits they are able to transcend the craving or tanha exhibited in the hive-city for wealth, status, credibility, fame or social standing. Rather, this ‘defective’ citizen aspires to leave the economic activity of civilization because they are instead driven by a pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.

Outside in the metaphorical desert, outside the outskirts of the city, the citizen, now a traveller, explorer or adventurer in Samsara, can wander and discover sacred black Monoliths scattered in its uncharted depths. In the metaverse of this allegory these monoliths refer to books; books that nourish the free-spirited traveller with philosophical insights, as well as instructions for how to assemble the insights into Great Vehicles (Dhammas).

Thus, the monoliths (books) that the traveller freely discovers in the desert; where they are free to read outside the qualification orientated curriculum prescribed in the cities; enable them to collect rare components of insight. These components of insight are hardly ever found in the city because there, reading is executed via its link to economic activity; i.e. the maxim that an educated person is a productive citizen. But education can be so much more than qualification. The free-spirited traveller knows this.

Some of the Monoliths have more transcendental power than others; i.e. some books grant greater knowledge. And thus, depending on the nature of the Monoliths the traveller finds in the desert, there will be a central theme, blueprint or framework to the components of insights accumulated; this will largely dictate the characteristics of the Great Vehicles (Dhammas) that the traveller can construct to help them further traverse the desert of Samsara.

This book is divided into two sections, the first one is Suttas, and the second one is Abhidhamma. Both contain a different set of aphorisms, hence the separation. Both are two separate instruction manuals for two distinct Great Vehicles (Dhammas) that I have attempted to build in my own time in the desert (here, desert in the metaverse means time outside the societal bounds). So, the aphorisms presented in this book are effectively a documentation of my own building process.

If you follow the aphorisms word-for-word (a great misinterpretation) you would end up building the same Great Vehicles I have attempted. That would be a great mistake, because a Great Vehicle should be unique to each free-spirited person. So, don't read my aphorisms this way. Rather, use them as an example to construct your own Great Vehicle, i.e. develop your own insights with your own reading list of philosophy books (Monoliths).

Also, I'm not absolutely sure about some of my aphorisms. That is, as insight components, I cannot guarantee their quality. I am like a second-hand parts dealer in the desert. I know that is an odd thing for an author to say; to discredit the accuracy of their own insights. But it is the model (of building Great Vehicles) that I want to highlight in the book, not the individual aphorisms themselves; they could be faulty, you have been warned.

But, that said, perhaps one day as a free-spirited adventurer you are able to build an Ultra Great Vehicle. This will enable you to traverse ‘Across the Flood' of Samsara. I had attempted to build this Great Vehicle while reading the Abhidhamma. Whilst the Suttas were great, they alone did not enable me to build a Great Vehicles powerful enough to escape Samsara. I was hoping that by reading the Abhidhamma I could build a Spacecraft/Rocketship for this purpose.

I was hoping I could reuse some of my insight components I obtained with the Suttas in the building of the Rocketship. I have provided many Abhidhamma components but as I write this book my construction of the Rocketship is not complete. Alas, I am not an Arahant, and I haven't crossed the Flood of Samsara with my Ultra Great Vehicle Rocketship. What is effectively presented in this book is a log of my progress.