LIFE ONE, PHASE TWO Confession
Taking a walk during a silent meditation retreat, I stood on a bridge and observed the river flowing beneath me. Something was wrong. It seemed to me that the river’s rocks and logs were not in proper aesthetic alignment to one another. I climbed down the embankment, waded into the water, and began to rearrange them.
Last night, deep in meditation, I lost the world and gained the universe. But still I lost the world and had to replace it in the morning. It cost me an arm and a leg.
RR
I’d shift a few rocks and logs, then climb up to the bridge to judge the result. Not satisfied, I’d climb back into the river to try again. I did this for a very long time.
Drenched and tired, I eventually took a break on the riverbank. And then it hit me: everything is as it should be, and meddling is a reflection of ego. And then I laughed. I laughed at myself, of course, but mostly I laughed at my fellow seekers who thought they could get enlightened sitting on a cushion when in fact you had to rearrange the river. Then I stopped laughing and began working on how to market Rearranging the River™ spiritual retreats.