bamboozled by spires

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In Zen, there is the encouragement: "In the beginning, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. In the middle, mountains are not mountains and rivers are not rivers. In the end, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers."

For those inclined towards spiritual endeavor, this old saying can sound like a deliciously-inviting metaphor, an encouragement to enter a mystical world that is vastly out of reach. It is something to strive for, to sweat for, to curse for, to grind the teeth about. Boy, I wish I could plumb those depths!

My view is that the saying is just an architectural blueprint -- not an encouragement at all, but simply a description of what actually happens. And as such, it's like describing a Chevrolet ... four tires, a motor, a steering column, brakes and ... so what else is new?

I don't mean to downplay the saying and I don't mean to upgrade my status. You do have to wonder, though, about why anyone would feel the necessity to dig back into Chinese or Japanese history in order to espouse some greater good when the song you may have sung as a kid tells the tale equally well:

The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
To see what he could see

To see what he could see,
To see what he could see

The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
Was all that he could see

Was all that he could see,
Was all that he could see,
The other side of the mountain,
Was all that he could see!

Of course the children's ditty may not have the same sex appeal, the same spiritual savor, but really it strikes me as "same shit, different day." All that sweat and effort about stuff that is right in front of your nose and even little children can announce??!!

I do think that it is unavoidable in most cases -- taking the time to sweat and squirm and winkle out a truly peaceful truth in this life. People who don't take the opportunity to study their own lives are highly likely to be uncertain and unhappy. Dumb and dumber. But in another sense, it's hard not to think -- dumb if you do and dumb if you don't.

Sometimes I think the sum of spiritual practice is just to relax: People build the spires they need. The trick is not to be bamboozled by spires, most especially your own.
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