Lone Mountain is Bibel's
self-dubbed Zen Buddhist/poetic name. As derived from the practice of
ancient Chinese
monasteries, later carried on in Japan and Korea and now the West, ordained and lay students
are given such
dharma names by their teachers, which reflect the teachings, the person, or
typically the locale, such as Original Nature, Wide Gate, Mystic Peak, Empty
Mind, and Nature Scent (the latter given to a woman Zen master). Since
many temples are situated in mountains, these spiritually powerful features can
be included as part of, if not the entire, name. The name Han-Shan, the
famous Chinese nature poet, means Cold Mountain, the name of his haunt. Bibel's
Zen teacher, Seung Sahn, means, in Korean, High Mountain, a particularly apt
name.
While a practicing Zennist who had
immersed herself in training within the Kwan Um School of Zen (1982–1995), Bibel
has, nevertheless, remained only an associate member and, although eligible, declined to take precept rites; hence,
she did not receive a formal dharma name. [She much appreciates the teaching
role of organized religion and its preservation of lore and techniques, but as a scientist-observer,
she did not want to engage in the
symbolic act of accepting its full dogma.] Instead, in the
tradition of the author or poet with a nom de plume, e.g., Basho [Banana Tree], she chose her own
Buddhist, or spiritual, name.
The name Lone Mountain captures Bibel’s strong independent
and
self-reliant spirit, her scientific (and Zen) training in doubt, and her mature
life living alone.
Bibel's more recent calligraphies are stamped
using a chop cut with the seal script of Chinese characters for Lone Mountain.
