Let’s get clear on one thing, life is like climbing a mountain, so this is a case of “you against yourself.” Your trip to Japan is about transformation, right? This climb is going to test you in so many ways, so let’s make every step count.
Japan is probably the world’s most exclusive culture. In my recent post I talked about how stoic the Japanese are and how inner space allows them the capacity to be this way. So, in a very real sense this may be your greatest opportunity to feel, understand and consider, at least to some degree, the essence of what it is to be Japanese.
The Japanese believe that the greatest beauty lies in the simplest of things. What could be more simple than testing yourself on a mountain?
Zen and the human spirit go hand in hand. The Japanese learnt, centuries ago, that there is a spiritual element in all achievement. It’s no wonder then that Zen became the training manual and spiritual guide for the Samurai.
Part of the Japanese system of values is that the way something is done becomes much more important than what is done. Would you just hike up Mt Fuji without thinking about what you are doing? Would there be any value in that? Probably not, right!?
So, in order to get in tune with the right spirit of things, let’s look more closely now at how we can carefully consider what each and every step up to the top of Mt Fuji can mean to us.
Please take a close look at the picture above. This is what a little bit of inner space looks like. Its fine if yours differs, but you get the gist. The important thing here is that this space, no matter what its size, or appearance, is allowed to open up within your imagination. Now without going into anything too deep, no religion, or big leaps of faith, lets just agree that within your mind this space is never allowed to contain anything. Its concept free space. Pure. It stays with you, regardless of everything life puts you through.
The surrounding black is mind. The black may also represent all problems and worries. The white is always a place that we can go to, especially when we are being called upon to be stoic. I hope you can now see where this is going. This is what author Eckhart Tolle calls “The awareness that is prior to thought.” As mentioned in the last several posts, simplicity of thought can be seen to have some merit. If you want to try it, this image is the key to unminding.
Modern research indicates that psychological flexibility is the key to greater happiness and well-being. What this little white space does is more important than what it is. It allows your mind the space to be flexible.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, the Japanese accepted the idea centuries ago that the world is in a constant state of flux and that the best philosophy of life is therefore one that is based on flexibility.
This suggests that our little white space is actually ancient.
So, it was worked out hundreds of years ago that flexibility, after all, is what allows us to best cope with change, and it is change that is coming to humanity now at an increasingly alarming rate.
The stage then is set. This Climb of Mt Fuji will NOT include BULLET CLIMBING! This is where beginners leave the 5th station in the evening and climb up overnight without staying at a mountain hut. This would be a plan for the foolhardy, increasing the risk of altitude sickness and exhaustion. We know that the Spirit by nature is SLOW, so let’s do this right. We are going for the GOLD STANDARD climbing plan of one night and two days with a Sunrise at the Summit. It’s now morning and we are about to begin. We jump in the bus at Fujiyoshida so that we will arrive at the 5th station in time for lunch. We will let our bodies acclimatize and start climbing in the afternoon so that we will arrive at the 8th Station hut at about 5.00pm. Then we will grab some zeds before heading out at midnight. We will be at the summit of Mt Fuji around 4.30am.
Now, as we take our first step up the mountain we think about our little white space. For every step we take up the mountain we begin to understand that, although we can’t see it, our white space is actually getting bigger!
We can’t wait to reach each milestone along the way so that we can take stock and revisualize, not just what we have achieved physically, but also mentally and spiritually as well.
We know however that the Japanese are a very patient people, and we understand that this process is a reversal of sorts, so we begin a vague process of subduing our excitement. This is a kind of really weird experience for us because all our life we have been fed on the understanding (actually an assumption) that excitement is where life is supposed to be at.
We begin to realize that we are on our way to something entirely new.
Next post: Climbing Fuji: Presence on the Mountain.