The Mountain as a Metaphor for Life!
How to climb a mountain the right way!
“Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you’re no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn’t just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here’s where things grow.”
But of course, without the top you can’t have any sides. It’s the top that defines the sides. So, on we go… we have a long way… no hurry… just one step after the next…
– Robert Pirsig,
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
There are many views on this. Sri Ramana says just be who you are, and you have to give up even the desire for Moksha. And then the Siva Sutras say Udyamo Bhairava. The very striving to become free, swachanda will make you a Bhairava. But even the act of just being who are you are is a doing. So, it’s all about being and doing. Being and becoming.
The “word” journey already implies you are going somewhere. Right? Also, the metaphor of climbing the mountain. You are already climbing the mountain, and you are already headed towards the top which is the destination. So that is already settled. The point is while you are headed towards the top, enjoy every step of the way. Enjoy means focus, be in the now, and take in everything along the way.
The purpose of the mountain is not that it has a top. Not only that it has a top. The purpose includes the rest of the mountain as well. In other words, don’t think in terms of, “There is an obstacle in my path.” The obstacle is the path. There is a mountain between me and the top of the mountain. But it is not a hindrance. It contains many mysteries and many lessons. So, it is a mindful, fully present climb to the top.
