Up the Mountain

Attaining the final goal in Buddhism—Buddhahood—takes a very long time. I'm not talking years here, I'm talking about lifetimes, more lifetimes than you and I can count. Together. For people used to a quick fix and quarterly results, this can easily seem overwhelming. But maybe the following will help a bit.

Imagine the perfect, complete enlightenment of Buddhahood as the top of a mountain that is so far above you that you cannot even see it. But people have come down the mountain and assured you that the mountain does have a top and, yes, you will get there if you keep climbing.

So you climb a few steps, then slip on some pebbles and fall back to even lower than you were before you slipped. Then you climb a few more steps and find a resting place. Starting up again, you come to an outcropping of rock and for the life of you; you cannot figure how to get around it. No matter what you try, it doesn't work. And as you get frustrated, you start slipping back on those darn pebbles again and even on a few rocks. It feels very tempting to just give up and either build a hut where you are to stay in or to just go back down the mountain. After all life was much easier down there.

But if you stop staring at the mountain and glance around, you will see that you are a little higher than you originally were. The air is a little less polluted, you can see farther, and the sky is a little bluer. You can breathe more easily.

You can also look down the mountain and see other climbers below struggling to just reach the point you're at. By not thinking solely of your own climb, you can call down to them with some encouraging words. And as you do this, you realize that there are others above you on the mountain who are doing the same for you: calling down words of encouragement and helpful hints for the climb.

You then realize, you're not the only one on the mountain. Helping others, you feel good. Being helped, you feel more assured about what lies ahead of you.

By stopping to look around instead of being focused on your own climb and being oblivious to everything else, you will feel better about the progress you have made so far. You still can't see the top and it's clear you have a very long way to go, but things have gotten better than they were. You have indeed made progress.

Taking the time to realize this and breathing deeply, you smile. Feeling renewed, you turn back to the mountain and resume your climb, with more energy and confidence than you had before.