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  PRAISE FOR THE LAST LAUGH

  “The Last Laugh is just what I like in a story—funny, mystical, original, deep. If you like adventures of the heart and spirit, you’ll really enjoy Arjuna Ardagh’s story of an awakening journey like none other.”

  — Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., author of Conscious Loving and The First Rule of Ten: A Tenzing Norbu Mystery

  “This moving story of one man’s journey from profound darkness to the light powerfully illuminates the central struggle of modern times to find a new way forward. The Last Laugh is chock full of wit and wisdom but also that rarest of qualities in modern fiction: hope.”

  — Lynne McTaggart, international best-selling author of The Field, The Intention Experiment, and The Bond

  “This is a great book. Arjuna is a wordsmith of the highest order, and this is brilliantly written. I laughed out loud many times, and loved the way the deep insights are also entertaining. Highly recommended.”

  — John Gray, Ph.D., author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

  “A rich and feisty tale, beautifully told, of people who live out of the box while they make the world a better place. This is spirited spiritual literature of a new order and is highly recommended.”

  — Jean Houston, Ph.D., author of Jump Time and A Passion for the Possible

  “Arjuna awakens us to the joy and humor of life ever-evolving! His brilliant wit, perception of reality, and love make The Last Laugh a real journey into the divine.”

  — Barbara Marx Hubbard, president of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution

  “The Last Laugh is a delightful adventure in consciousness, and will uplift the soul, and lead to transformation in the most marvelous way.”

  — Sonia Choquette, New York Times best-selling author of The Answer Is Simple … Love Yourself, Live Your Spirit!

  “The Last Laugh is simply a tour de force. I want everyone to read it. With compelling power, grace and wit, it presents the great teaching that your small contracted self is not the true or full you, it is simply a case of mistaken identity. The book has clarity, love, and the power of a direct transmission of an awakened state. And it is wildly funny. I laughed out loud many, many times, I found ancient perennial wisdom presented in fresh and original ways, and I fell in love with the characters. This is a book I never wanted to end. Essential reading—truly one of the great ‘visionary’ novels.”

  — Marc Gafni, Ph.D., author of Your Unique Self: The Radical Path to Personal Enlightenment and founder of the Center for World Spirituality

  “This has to be one of my top ten reads of all time. What can I say? Everything important about being human is in this book … and it is funny, too! Everyone should have a copy.”

  — Marci Shimoff, author of Happy for No Reason and Love for No Reason

  “The Last Laugh is funny, it offers deep insight, and it is so well written that you will not want to put it down till you are done. I highly recommend everyone buy this book and pass it on to your friends. I promise you will not regret it.”

  — Hale Dwoskin, author of the New York Times bestseller The Sedona Method

  “Arjuna’s novel The Last Laugh points us back to the things that are really important in life, in a style that is heartfelt; well written; and very, very funny!”

  — Janet Bray Attwood, New York Times best-selling author of The Passion Test

  “This is an amazing and funny book that will bring enlightenment and laughter into your life.”

  — Yakov Smirnoff, Russian comedian, actor, and author of Smirnoff for the Soul

  “The Last Laugh is an outstanding novel! It presents all of the wisdom of the ages in a story that you can’t stop reading. If you want to become wise without having to study over it, read this book. I am buying a bunch of these novels to give to my friends.”

  — Brad Blanton, author of Radical Honesty

  “This new book by my good friend Arjuna Ardagh is a Zen Koan come alive. He manages to capture the paradox, the ecstatic highs and the great falls from grace, and the humor of the authentic spiritual Path of us Human Beings. The Last Laugh takes us on a journey that is authentic, compelling, and very funny. I highly recommend it!”

  — Genpo Merzel Roshi, American Zen Master, creator of The Big Mind

  “The Last Laugh is, simply put, a wonderful book! Arjuna Ardagh’s writing puts you squarely in the middle of every scene, and he weaves a story with such skill that you want to keep turning pages. This novel speaks clearly about who the author is: bright, funny, articulate, and compelling. You will feel brighter and better for having read this wonderful book.”

  — Mary Morrissey, founder of Life SOULutions

  “While many, many books have been written about the concept of enlightenment, The Last Laugh is a well-written, totally engaging, wise, and modern story of what the transformational process looks like, sounds like, tastes like, and feels like. Just as a picture is worth a thousand words, a book like this is worth a hundred preachy tutorials.”

  — Steve Bhaerman, a.k.a. Swami Beyondananda, co-author of Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There from Here

  “At last … a spiritual novel with guts and depth.”

  — Peter Russell, author of From Science to God and The Global Brain

  “This book guides you through a spiritual journey full of surprises, triumphs, defeats, and belly laughs that will open your heart and your mind.”

  — Deborah Rozman, Ph.D., CEO, HeartMath, Inc.

  “We’re lucky that Arjuna is such a good writer because he’s managed to take timeless spiritual wisdom and turn it into a thoroughly entertaining story. While reading The Last Laugh, I loved how the lessons in the novel were in alignment with my own life, helping me be inspired to take the next step in my own evolution.”

  — Jonathan Robinson, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Awakening Your Spirituality and Communication Miracles for Couples

  “Hilarious and refreshing! Arjuna elegantly reminds us, laughter is transcendence. This book is fun to the core, wise, and a must-read for any spiritual seeker.”

  — Rob McNamara, author of The Elegant Self and Strength to Awaken and president of Performance Integral

  “Sometimes we get stuck in a web of thoughts, desires, fears, stress, and not knowing about the future. And I mean stuck. BUT … we can free ourselves, really free ourselves. This sweet, powerful book shows you how.”

  — Martin Rutte, founder of ProjectHeavenonEarth.com and co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work

  “I love Arjuna Ardagh! The Last Laugh shines with humor, heart, authenticity, and depth. It will cause you to question reality, reminding you of what’s really important in life. Full of wisdom … read it if you dare!”

  — Kute Blackson, inspirational speaker and author of Love.Now.

  “The Last Laugh is a funny, moving, passionate exploration of what it means to be fully alive. Filled with entertaining, inspirational, daily life lessons that every reader can put into immediate practice. And it’s a fun read!”

  — Matt Weinstein, founder of Playfair and author of Managing to Have Fun

  “The writing is lyrical, sensual, and rich in details, and the characters are wonderfully drawn. All that alone is a fine achievement, but what was really inspiring is how effective this story is in conveying the journey of Awakening. I loved the way it conveyed the almost magical quality of first induction and breakthrough, the collapse into ego self-protection, the displacement of the energy onto the external anima and the understanding of bringing it home. I can feel the richness of Arjuna’s own experience in what he portrayed and it mirrors much of my own.”

  — Richard Moss, author of The Black Butterfly

  “Delightful. A compelling
real-life journey that caught and held my attention immediately while providing a unique glimpse at the real-life pain and cloaked divinity that surrounds us all the time. Some books are fun while others are important; this one is both.”

  — Eric Edmeades, CEO, Kerner Studios

  “In my profession, filmmaking, it’s all about story. To make a good movie is to tell a good story. A skilled storyteller uses words like colors to paint a world that can be seen and felt. Arjuna Ardagh’s words are so vibrant with necessary detail and poetic charm that it’s hard not to get sucked down the rabbit hole. The Last Laugh enlightens as it entertains! Reading it left me deeply aware that this is a writer who has lived the full spectrum of life, and as a result deeply understands the mythologies that are the foundation of our human experience.”

  — Mikki Willis, founder of Elevate Films

  “This book offers us the best in visionary fiction. The Last Laugh frequently takes us by surprise, and it’s subtly insightful, touching, and laugh-out-loud funny. I did not want it to end.”

  — Barnet Bain, producer of What Dreams May Come and The Celestine Prophecy

  “The Last Laugh takes you on Matt’s thrilling journey from profound human despair to awakened hope, then into authentic freedom. Arjuna Ardagh’s brilliant new novel will thoroughly entice and captivate you, then awaken and introduce you to your own personal freedom. Read this brilliantly developed and wonderfully written novel for inspiring entertainment, then find yourself automatically transformed and awakened to your own exciting potential. A ‘Wow!’ Book!”

  — Bill Bauman, Ph.D., founder of the Center for Soulful Living, author of Soul Vision and Oz Power, and originator of The Ultimate Human

  “This gem of a novel leads us on a journey of spiritual awakening, with art, humor, and unblinking honesty. Buy it!”

  — Stephen Josephs, Leadership Development Expert and author of Leadership Agility and Dragons at Work

  “Arjuna Ardagh is a masterful storyteller. From the moment I began reading The Last Laugh, I felt immediately engaged and a part of this enriching journey. Through Arjuna’s rich and textural writing style, mixed with his steeped understanding of spiritual awakening, I’ve witnessed moments of deeper insight, compassion, and clearer vision in my life choices, bringing a richer awakening of freedom and love throughout my daily experience.”

  — Carl Studna, photographer, author of CLICK!: Choosing Love One Frame at a Time, and founder of the LuminEssence Method

  “Arjuna has written a profound page-turner with deep insight into reality that anyone who has been through any crises in life can easily relate to. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

  — Isaac Shapiro, Spiritual Teacher and author of Outbreak of Peace

  “The Last Laugh smashes the same mold most spiritual stories drearily recycle through. Finally an enlightened story that is funny, uplifting, and unpredictable. Great read!”

  — Steve D’Annunzio, author of The Prosperity Paradigm and founder of The Soul Purpose Institute

  “Both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, The Last Laugh offers an entertaining and realistic glimpse of one man’s awakening. An added bonus is Arjuna’s deep understanding of consciousness-in-action, which gifts readers with rich reminders and insights to apply to everyday life.”

  — Vickie Falcone, author of Buddha Never Raised Kids and Jesus Didn’t Drive Carpool: Seven Principles for Parenting with Soul

  “The Last Laugh is a charming, postmodern fable about the awakenings and transformations we can go through when life takes us to the bottom and won’t let us up—and we suddenly access resources both in others and in ourselves that we couldn’t possibly have imagined in advance.”

  — Saniel Bonder, author of Waking Down: Beyond Hypermasculine Dharmas, Great Relief, and The Tantra of Trust

  “I highly recommend this entertaining novel of the spiritual path home for its humor, insight, and sheer exuberance. It’s a real page-turner!”

  — Paul John Roach, Senior Minister, Unity Church of Fort Worth

  “This is a wonderful read—I stayed up all night to finish it, and the story returns often in my daily life… ”

  — Haines Ely, Host, KVMR Radio

  “Arjuna is a great storyteller. He creates a wonderful mix of mysticism and action with his first novel, The Last Laugh. It’s a masterpiece.”

  — Nik Colyer, author of Channeling Biker Bob

  “Sometimes when I finish a book I don’t want the book’s world to end—I want to stay in it a little longer. This is a lovely book showing the span from despair to ecstasy and the everyday life that occurs in between. Ultimately, I think it’s the book’s lightheartedness that moved me to tears in the last chapter.”

  — Anne Anderson, Institute for Noetic Science

  ALSO BY ARJUNA ARDAGH

  Relaxing into Clear Seeing: Interactive Tools in the Service of Self-Awakening

  How About Now: Satsang with Arjuna Ardagh

  The Translucent Revolution: How People Just Like You Are Waking Up and Changing the World

  Leap Before You Look: 72 Shortcuts for Getting Out of Your Mind and into the Moment

  Let Yourself Go: The Freedom & Power of Life Beyond Belief

  Copyright © 2013 by Arjuna Ardagh

  Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com® • Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za • Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

  Cover Design: Amy Rose Grigoriou • Interior Design: Jenny Richards

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales, or persons living or deceased, is strictly coincidental.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Ardagh, Arjuna.

  The last laugh / Arjuna Ardagh. — 1st edition.

  pages cm

  ISBN 978-1-4019-4232-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

  I. Title.

  PS3601.R4L37 2013

  813’.6—dc23

  2013000663

  Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-4019-4232-8

  16 15 14 13 4 3 2 1

  1st edition, May 2013

  Printed in the United States of America

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1: The Bridge

  CHAPTER 2: A Visit from Venus

  CHAPTER 3: New Directions

  CHAPTER 4: The Meeting

  CHAPTER 5: Fleeting Heaven

  CHAPTER 6: Doing Laundry

  CHAPTER 7: Joey’s Story

  CHAPTER 8: The Sofa Bed

  CHAPTER 9: Which Is the Most Beautiful?

  CHAPTER 10: Unknown Waters

  CHAPTER 11: The Yoga Class

  CHAPTER 12: The Voice of Divine Grace

  CHAPTER 13: The Arrest

  CHAPTER 14: Oasis

  CHAPTER 15: Not Two

  CHAPTER 16: Just Like Me

  CHAPTER 17: The Real Teacher

  CHAPTER 18: Eternal Now

  CHAPTER 19: Blind Man’s Baseball

  CHAPTER 20: How About Now

  CHAPTER 21: Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cheesecake

  CHAPTER 22: Dark Nights

  CHAPTER 23: Freedom

  CHAPTER 24: Time Release

  CHAPTER 25: Chocolate-C
overed Friend

  EPILOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  THE BRIDGE

  They say when a body hits water from a great height, it’s like hitting concrete.

  I looked down into the freezing Pacific.

  Only if the impact is purely perpendicular, is there any chance to survive. Then comes the swim, and the coldness. The swim to what? To another dead end.

  I stood on the bridge just before midnight, the wind from the ocean arriving in violent blasts, as if saying under its breath, “Jump, motherfucker, jump.” The occasional passing car sent another small wash of air, adding an additional vote for my extinction.

  This was the last of a string of attempted departures, most orchestrated in my tired mind. Hours spent in Long’s Drugs looking at little bottles and wondering what dosages were lethal. Painful walks on the train tracks by the park, punctuated by the carefree laughter of children on the swings. Children. Always a bitter reminder of all that had been lost and destroyed by my foolishness.

  The horn of a truck on the bridge shocked me back to the cold and isolation of the night. And to the decision. How could the end bring with it such concern for consequence? The longing for annihilation tugged against the quivering fear of retribution. A gull swooped down, and shat on the iron of the bridge. Nausea. Everything brought on nausea, as if I were allergic to all of life. Everything was out of control.

  The descent had been gradual. I had vague memories, like images out of focus, of a time of optimism. The wedding. That was a time of lingering dinners, of best wishes, of shiny new kitchen gadgets that would whisk up a lifetime of security. Their built-in obsolescence was brightly overlooked. Her eyes were so adoring then, everyone was a friend; everyone wanted to be close. The world was made of good smells.

  We had built the perfect life. I had my own radio show on KYQD, “Beyond Belief.” It was an eclectic forum for anything beyond the ordinary. Over the years, I talked to John Bradshaw, Ram Dass, even the Dalai Lama once. We had environmentalists on the show, authors, New-Age gurus, you name it.

  We lived on the east side of town, Rebecca, me, and the kids. We had the best of everything, a beautiful house, two cars, an apparently idyllic marriage, and good friends. Becca was a graphic artist and had a few clients without having to worry. We had a good life, not extravagant but very comfortable. We preferred camping over hotels, barbecues at home over eating out.