dumb again

Sometimes my failures just seem overwhelming in their unending persistence.

This morning I received an out-of-the-blue email from a fellow who had written a book:

"Hi," the email said, "I have written a book, "Zen Explained."  As an organiser of a Buddhist group, I think it might be the kind of book you are ideally positioned to review."

For all I know, it is a very good book. For all I know, it is very informative. For all I know, it is very useful. I have no current basis on which to either praise or condemn it.

But my reaction -- just my reaction -- to the email was something between uproarious laughter and bitter tears. The title was a gob-stopper. What do you say to someone who uses such a title, much less imagines s/he actually could explain Zen. It reminded me of the old tongue-in-cheek scam in which a salesman hawks cans of dehydrated water whose labels read, "Just add water." Only someone on hallucinogens could set up a tent on these fairgrounds.

On the other hand, I am a fan of people who, together or alone, sit down, shut up and make some focused effort to address their lives ... maybe through Zen practice. I'm a fan because my take is that without some effort, uncertainty and unhappiness gain an unwarranted and unwanted foothold.

Maybe buying a book entitled "Zen Explained" is precisely the right way to find out that Zen can't be explained. In my experience, that's useful information... although explaining that "Zen can't be explained" is every bit as juvenile and ridiculous and saying that it can.

Just don't ask me to read a book about any of it. I've banged my head against that wall.

My failing is that I keep hoping someone else won't have to be as blind-assed stupid as I was.

Talk about dumb!