Now, I’m surprised I found the same things said about the mountain in a book about motorcycle maintenance. Ok, it’s not quite just about motorcycle maintenance, but at some point in the book, a father brought his son up a mountain. I won’t try to spoil the wordings used and just quote this below:
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.
The book I’m reading is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
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That’s one of my all time favorite books. I’ve read it once a year for over 20 years now.
People have written their doctoral thesis on this book.
Check out Guidebook to Zen and the Art …
http://www.amazon.com/Guidebook-Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance/dp/0688060692/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239199555&sr=1-3
Hey Rick, looks like a great guide (looking through the reviews)! Have put it on my wish list. I’m still reading the book though. It’s a really “different” book to say the least.
I like this. We’ve been so conditioned to focus on conquering peaks that we forget that (and this is going to sound cliché) life is about the journey, not the destination.
Consider the difference between these two statements:
I practice Taiji.
Taiji is my practice.
There’s a difference.
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[...] some of these journeys, try Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence. See a glimpse of the book here and [...]