Mental barrier

The reverend Jisho Perry just returned from a monastic retreat in Japan. He told me a story that, I think, is a good example of how the mind imposes order on what we see. At the foot of Mount Omine there is a ‘gate’ made up of little more than three tree stumps in the ground. It means: “Off Limits to Women.” It doesn’t actually say that. Women can go there and step right over them if they wanted to ..there is nothing stopping them. There are no guards ..no one to tell them that they can’t. But these three logs have kept women out for over 1,300 years. In a culture where conformity rules, few dare cross the invisible lines. To these women, the gate is a psychological barrier. The sight of a few sticks, and a little cultural background, is enough to create a ‘no trespassing sign’ on an open mountain trail.