Andrew Forbes

When I met Jack, I had just moved to New York City. I quoted him in my thesis for my degree from Naropa, and when I met him we became instant friends. The first project we worked on together was creating a banner to fly at the Occupy Wall Street March to city hall. After that, it was gathering at his little studio in Soho to talk dharma. Endless stories, of the most outrageous nature, about CTR, about him, and so on. He introduced me to the writings of Philip K Dick, John Steinbeck, and told me secret alien histories of WW2, the ancient kingdoms of Agartha, Shambhala, and Atlantis. He pried open my imagination, encouraging the conceptual mind, rather than trying to cut it. Because of him, I began to see the hollowness of forms and the solidity of space. Jack had the power of manifesting anything; whenever I was with him, it felt like anything was possible. When I would come over to hang out, he would always pull out all the stops in his art of hosting: roasted farmers-market chicken, fresh French fries, serving the most delectable spreads. He demonstrated with every gesture the boundless warriorship that we all aspire too, unlimited generosity, razor sharp humor, unmovable conviction, and a knowledge of the dharma so thorough it was as though Dakinis whispered in his ear. We would sit around listening to classical music, watching old movies, talking endlessly about everything, especially all the gossip. He had nothing but love for everyone, even all the folks that had wronged him. He had been ripped off, taken advantage of, and some of his closest friends had left him behind because of his excessive past. Because of Jack, I have immovable faith in a magical universe that goes beyond my wildest dreams, in all the dralas and wermas and gods and goddesses of all the religions in all the worlds throughout the galaxy. Jack was one of a kind. I miss him now, and will always. Until the next life, my friend, may we cross swords on the field of battle, and dance together on the fertile plains, roaring with laughter, radiating contagious joy throughout the world.
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