Well, not necessarily the whole koan, since that ruins the whole point of contemplating a koan. But some words I just don’t know:
What the heck are “Mountains of Lang, rivers of Li”? Who or what are Lang and Li?
I could tell you, but then it would not be the true Tao.
Master Sekiso said, “You are at the top of the 100 foot high pole. How will you make a step further?” Another Zen Master of Ancient Times said, “One who sits on top of the 100 foot pole has not quite attained true enlightenment. Make another step forward from the top of the pole and throw one’s own body into the 100,000 universes.”
Mumon’s Comments:
Should there be any who is able to step forward from the top of the 100 foot pole and hurl one’s whole body into the entire universe, this person may call oneself a Buddha. Nevertheless, how can one step forward from the top of the 100 foot pole? Know thyself!
Should one be content and settle on top of the 100,000 foot pole,
One will harm the third eye,
And will even misread the marks on the scale.
Should one throw oneself and be able to renounce one's life,
Like one blind person leading all other blind persons,
One will be in absolute freedom (unattached from the eyes).
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/mumonkan.html
The version given here has “Mountains of Ro; water of Rei.” and comments that they are provinces in old China.
Take them as place names and nothing more. Just go ahead and step off the pole.
Mu.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Kalimash at Baha,
Temba, his arms wide,
Sokath, his eyes uncovered,
Khidir beneath Momouteh!
CMC fnord!
Why step forward? Get another pole and use them as stilts.
In other words, one does not have to destroy themselves to gain enlightment. The truly enlightened man is more himself than ever. It is as Pooh said “Mmm. Honey.”
This thread isn’t very busy. Well, I’m not very busy just now but this koan did suddenly pop into my mind two days ago, so I’m going to write some comments about it and see what happens.
First off, let me say that most of the replies I’ve seen here remind me of the kinds of replies I see in most online discussions of Zen: they are formulaic. One fellow responds with only the word “Mu.” I assume he’s referencing the koan “Joshu’s Dog” and if he and I derive the same message from that koan then technically I agree with his answer.
But (and this is a big but): I find it highly unlikely that that answer will evoke a change in the original poster, or anybody else who seeks out this thread. I find that a lot of online Buddhists are very good at acting like they’re on the verge of enlightenment. It’s really quite easy to do that; all you have to do is answer every question by lifting one finger.
—
Okay, here’s what I got about this koan two days ago: the various responses about what you’ll do atop that pole are not important. They are deliberately irrelevant. Now why would that be?
Well, what’s that pole? As I see it, it’s like some fabulous attainment, such as, “Look at me! I’m so close to enlightenment! Look how high I’ve risen!”
Okay, great story, bro. Now, then … what’s your next step?
Oh.
Any step at all is going to be, well, like stepping off a 100-foot pole. The mind will protest, “Are you crazy!? You can’t step off a 100-foot pole!”
Of course the mind will protest like that. That what it does.
One could spend the rest of one’s life atop that pole. Many do. Or one could take a step. But I can’t explain how that would be done. That’d just make the pole a bit taller, wouldn’t it?
Then let me try it this way;
Mountains of Colorado, rivers of Minnesota.
Better yet, Mountains of Minnesota, Rivers of Nevada.
Nice.
I spent two years living in a Zen Buddhist monastery and I have to say I like astro’s comment by far the best. Pretty much my favorite line from that underappreciated film. Except without the actual audio it isn’t quite as good.
The simple non-satiric, non-I’ll-just-answer-with-another-obfuscation answer is: you are thinking too much. Just let go. Fall into the universe. And yeah, I am not unaware of how difficult and scary that is.
Understanding is a three-edged sword.
You think you’re in a high place up on that pole?
Remember the mountains of Lang are much higher than you are now. So too are the rivers of Li that flow through their valleys.
You got to the top of that pole somehow, didn’t you? Well, however you did that, do it a little bit more.
How exactly did a zombie get to the top of a thousand foot pole?
Brains. Lots and lots of brains.
By floating on a river, climbing a mountain, and not being busy.