Who has a mind for sightseeing?

Mountain Climbing

“We are departing for the skies. Who has a mind for sightseeing?” Rumi

In his 1978 book, Journey of Awakening, Ram Dass tells a story about mountain climbing. It begins with a bright summer day and a large group of people who decide to scale a nearby mountain. After several hours they reach a rest station where there is a restaurant, comfortable chairs, bathrooms and a beautiful view. Most of the climbers stay there for a while, content in their efforts, and then return home. He calls these “Sunday climbers.” The rest of the group head on up the mountain. When they reach the second rest station, there is nothing but an outhouse and an outdoor fire-place, but they are tighter as a group, have grown to care for one another. From that vantage point, they can see the valley below where their homes are, and the tiny villages where they grew up. In essence, they can see their past, how limited it was and how much more there is to the world. Most of the travelers stay for a while pondering the view and then return home. They've seen all they need to see.

For the few who go on, the climb gets harder. They now have to scale up the flat faces of the rocks, crawl through snow; the way is lonely and dangerous, the risks are greater and the obstacles, many. They also fight an inner battle of fear and self-doubt, questioning why they have taken on such an adversary. Only a few reach the top; only those who dig in with fierce, obstinate determination. They have endured and they want the whole experience no matter how hard the going. This is the journey of spiritual awakening.

The climb brings about a conversion; in confronting fear of death, doubt, confusion, and self-consciousness, one arrives at the summit a changed person. There is but one task remaining—coming back down. Keeping that mountain-top transformation in the everyday world is just as challenging as climbing the mountain. Holding on to the quiet wisdom that such experience brings in a world whirling with ignorance, a world that doesn't appreciate, understand or care about the mountain, is the most difficult task of all. Very few, indeed, accomplish it.

Most of us, myself included, never make it to summit; we are all somewhere on the mountain, seeing things from a broader perspective, and gaining ground every day. We are exactly where we need to be. We should be taking notes and snapping pictures, so we can share with the whirling world all that we learn along the way.

In the spirit,

Jane