‘Mountain State’ of Mindfulness
Today, when Chewie and I were kicking it at Base Camp in-between therapy clients, we started kicking about the idea of having a 'mind like a mountain'.
It's a subject we keep returning to, maybe in part because there are a number of inspiring pictures of mountain peaks over here at Base Camp world headquarters (aka 'the office' where I meet with my in-person counseling clients). And, of course, when I say 'we' keep returning to the subject, I really mean that Chewie's presence reminds me to be 'present' and then at some point, I start talking, and at some point, Chewie gets tired of me talking and she starts napping. And so now, here I am writing down my thoughts instead.
And so what does a 'mind like a mountain' mean?
Well, first off, this is just what it means to me.
And, more importantly, there is, in the Buddhist tradition, a particularly beautiful (in my opinion) concept of a ‘blue sky mind’ ... that clear and vast 'state' of mindful awareness that we are born with, that is always present inside us, but that can seem hidden by our thoughts or emotions, our stress or anxiety, our impulses, our stories, and all that inner noise.
I love this concept. I find it worthy and wise, something to remember and strive for and perhaps to forget and then re-find in the midst of forging new neural pathways: a reminder to forgo the pathways entirely, to throw away the map, or to at least head for the parts marked 'Here be dragons' and tie oneself to the mast amidst the oncoming storm. But whenever I spend a handful of moments in that blue sky state, inevitably my open palm tries to make some sort of fist, grasping and clutching, and I lose touch with the luminous expanse, my self interjecting itself perhaps, my ego rejecting its brief rejection. And how quick, just by using these words - 'self' ... 'ego' ... I feel far from any of the wisdom I perviously gleaned from the Buddhist tradition, thought it felt so tangible just a paragraph ago! Ah yes, but as Isaac Newton once said: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”. And so let's politely stand on the shoulders of the version of us that is able to experience/remember the 'blue sky mind' ...
In this moment... this version of us...
We are mountains.
Stay with me here... (if you wanna keep climbing)
Because we're mountains. All of us. And sure, the shiny summits of our tip-toppermost peaks scrape at the sky, even when the bright blue is threaded with storm clouds or shrouded by smoke, masked by haze or buried inside a swirl of old-as-the-ocean rain.
We're mountains. And so we are those peaks. Forever touching the sky, in touch with all its wildness and weather. We are so close to the stars and within shouting distance of the moon. But we are also rooted to the earth. We are dirt and rock, stone and forest. We are rot and decay and all the colors of every fallen leaf and trodden fungus as well as every shimmering new bloom. We're the ash of dead trees that burned while elsewhere swaths of wildflowers exploded. We are the wail and howl, the thud of hooves and the sound of wings and each riot of birdsong. We are tectonic uplift and alluvial fans, minerals and gemstones, relics and gravel roads, landslides and avalanches. We are snowdrifts and thawing rivers, waterfalls and soggy bogs and every cliff full of thorny edges, crooked trails and steep switchbacks. And so I invite you to fully experience the summit, to touch infinity and empty yourself as you bask in every glimpse of your blue sky mind. But since we are mountains, whole worlds live inside us. So is it any wonder our minds start to wander?
When yours does, I encourage you to bask once more in the blue sky state. But the summit is only one part of the story. So take that wide open way with you as you start to make your way down...
The adventure of your descent awaits.
Today, when Chewie and I were kicking it at Base Camp in-between therapy clients, we started kicking about the idea of having a 'mind like a mountain'.
It's a subject we keep returning to, maybe in part because there are a number of inspiring pictures of mountain peaks over here at Base Camp world headquarters (aka 'the office' where I meet with my in-person counseling clients). And, of course, when I say 'we' keep returning to the subject, I really mean that Chewie's presence reminds me to be 'present' and then at some point, I start talking, and at some point, Chewie gets tired of me talking and she starts napping. And so now, here I am writing down my thoughts instead.
And so what does a 'mind like a mountain' mean?
Well, first off, this is just what it means to me.
And, more importantly, there is, in the Buddhist tradition, a particularly beautiful (in my opinion) concept of a ‘blue sky mind’ ... that clear and vast 'state' of mindful awareness that we are born with, that is always present inside us, but that can seem hidden by our thoughts or emotions, our stress or anxiety, our impulses, our stories, and all that inner noise.
I love this concept. I find it worthy and wise, something to remember and strive for and perhaps to forget and then re-find in the midst of forging new neural pathways: a reminder to forgo the pathways entirely, to throw away the map, or to at least head for the parts marked 'Here be dragons' and tie oneself to the mast amidst the oncoming storm. But whenever I spend a handful of moments in that blue sky state, inevitably my open palm tries to make some sort of fist, grasping and clutching, and I lose touch with the luminous expanse, my self interjecting itself perhaps, my ego rejecting its brief rejection. And how quick, just by using these words - 'self' ... 'ego' ... I feel far from any of the wisdom I perviously gleaned from the Buddhist tradition, thought it felt so tangible just a paragraph ago! Ah yes, but as Isaac Newton once said: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”. And so let's politely stand on the shoulders of the version of us that is able to experience/remember the 'blue sky mind' ...
In this moment... this version of us...
We are mountains.
Stay with me here... (if you wanna keep climbing)
Because we're mountains. All of us. And sure, the shiny summits of our tip-toppermost peaks scrape at the sky, even when the bright blue is threaded with storm clouds or shrouded by smoke, masked by haze or buried inside a swirl of old-as-the-ocean rain.
We're mountains. And so we are those peaks. Forever touching the sky, in touch with all its wildness and weather. We are so close to the stars and within shouting distance of the moon. But we are also rooted to the earth. We are dirt and rock, stone and forest. We are rot and decay and all the colors of every fallen leaf and trodden fungus as well as every shimmering new bloom. We're the ash of dead trees that burned while elsewhere swaths of wildflowers exploded. We are the wail and howl, the thud of hooves and the sound of wings and each riot of birdsong. We are tectonic uplift and alluvial fans, minerals and gemstones, relics and gravel roads, landslides and avalanches. We are snowdrifts and thawing rivers, waterfalls and soggy bogs and every cliff full of thorny edges, crooked trails and steep switchbacks. And so I invite you to fully experience the summit, to touch infinity and empty yourself as you bask in every glimpse of your blue sky mind. But since we are mountains, whole worlds live inside us. So is it any wonder our minds start to wander?
When yours does, I encourage you to bask once more in the blue sky state. But the summit is only one part of the story. So take that wide open way with you as you start to make your way down...
The adventure of your descent awaits.