Fluffy Flux

From the Stone Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 20:276 :

          "The more things change, the more they stay the same," is a translation of the words of French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. I suppose it was the fixed astrological signs on this card that made me think of it. But why, when we all live under the law of impermanence, would he say some things don't change? Though outer circumstances are constantly in flux, we often react to them in habitual ways which produce similar results. Yet Stone, in her poem for the Wheel, gives us a hint for getting out of the loop when she says "the Grail hides in your kitchen sink." The Dhammapada quote reads:

It is up to you to make strong effort; buddhas merely tell you how.  

It would be interesting to see a tally of all the spiritual books I have bought in my lifetime, as well as the classes and seminars I've taken. In a second column would be what I learned from each, and in a third, what I put into practice from that knowledge. I'm sure that third column would look a little empty. It is comparable to pouring water into a pot with a hole in the bottom. Now the ego loves learning this way; it doesn't have to change, but it can put lots of books and seminars on its spiritual resume (making it look very impressive). But as the Buddha states, the goal is to change my inner self, not chase after spiritual materialism (which changes nothing except my monthly credit card statement).