What I learned from Shaolin Master Shi Heng Yi — How to climb your mountain
“There is something about sharing with others, there is something about making a connection. There is something about training and developing yourself. It is to enjoy your time even doing nothing. One main aspect is to find a way and do the things you like to do. “
This was the master’s response when asked to share on what the meaning of life is. This just makes sense, doesn’t it? Want to learn how to achieve monk-like discipline and advance in your life? Continue reading. He continued by setting the stage with this story he had been told by another master in the Shaolin temple;
A man was living close to a mountain. Every day he was thinking “how would it be to climb that mountain and what would I see at the peak? So finally the day came and the man went on the journey. At the foot of the mountain he met the first traveler. He asked him, “how did you get to the top of the mountain and what did you see at the top? And the traveler shared his path and also the view that he had. But then the man was thinking “the way this traveler described this to me sounds very exhausting. I need to find another way to climb.” So he continued to walk on the food of the mountain until he met the next traveler. So once again he asked “how did you climb up that mountain and what did you see at the top?” And so again the traveler shared his story. Still not being determined on which direction and which way to go the man asked 30 more people, 30 more travelers. When he finished talking to all of them. He finally made up his mind. “Now that so many people already shared with me their paths and especially what they all saw at the top, I don’t need to climb there anymore.” It is very unfortunate that this man never went on the journey.
What can we learn from this story?
Firstly, each individual needs to find the most suitable way to climb that mountain.
Secondly, there is information possible to be shared with words but it is impossible to share the experience of clarity when you are standing on that peak by yourself.
To invest the right effort in climbing that peak, it’s very much what all the Buddhist practices, the shaolin training, or any spiritual practice is about.
What we seek is clarity. Clarity means you see more clear. When you see more clear, interrelations become more apparent. When you see more clear, there is no need to believe anyone or believe anything.
Seeing clear means you can distinguish for yourself which is the proper direction to take and which decisions you have to make in order to make your goals or aspirations come true.
However, along your personal journey, you will encounter challenges. Those challenges will either prevent you or some of them even stop you from moving on and climbing that mountain. In the Shaolin Temple they refer to them as the five hindrances. These hindrances describe five different states of the mind. In those states of the mind, it becomes very hard to see clearly and therefore engage in the right decisions.
Sensual desire
Arises in the moment when you are paying attention to something that is giving you a positive emotion. This positive emotion can originate from five gates of your body. Seeing. Hearing. Smelling. Tasting. Feeling So in your mind, you climb up that mountain. After one mile of walking you discover a beautiful restaurant. Surrounded by beautiful people. You smell delicious food and a great variety of beverages.
When you follow that temptation you have already lost your track.
When this temptation becomes so strong that you don’t want to leave that place anymore then in the sensual desire has turned into an obsession. In both cases remaining at that place means that you can’t get clarity.
Ill will
Describes the state of the mind that arises from negative emotions. In that state of the mind, you have an aversion, a rejection or simply a dislike against either an object, a situation or it can even be a person. To simplify it means: you are climbing the mountain and it starts to rain, but you don’t like rain. You discover the roads are bumpy, but you don’t like the roads. In order to cross the river you need to swim, but you don’t like swimming.
Whatever it is that you dislike it won’t make it a pleasant journey. Unless you learn to let go of this ill-will, it’s more likely even that you won’t continue that journey.
Sloth(the heaviness of the body) and torpor(the dullness of the mind)
It is characterized by sleepiness, non-motivation, lack of energy and often times can manifest itself in a state of depression. He explains that a similarity used in Buddhism describes it as “imprisonment”. You find yourself locked in a cell.
It becomes very hard to make any type of mental or physical effort or progress in this state, so in order to continue your path, there is only one option left. You need to find a way to get out from that hole, out of that cell.
Restlessness
It is the state of an unsettled mind means your mind cannot settle. Settle where? Settle in the present moment. An unsettled mind either is worrying about the future or traveling into the past and rejecting, judging about an event that happened in your past. A similarity he uses here is a monkey mind. A monkey constantly jumping from one branch to another. Unable to stay for a longer time at the present moment.
The problem is there is no time to see clearly anymore.
Skeptical doubt
It is very closely related to the state of mind which is based on indecisiveness. It is very easy in that state of mind getting lost in thoughts. “Can I do this? Is this the right path? What will the others say? What if this? What if that?”
The mind cannot synchronize with your own actions anymore. And the result is that you’re getting disconnected with the goals and aspirations that you once have set for yourself. When the way is filled with too much doubts, more often you will stop instead of moving on.
Now that we know the five hindrances — what are we going to do about them?
You need to align and structure your life in such a way to prevent those hindrances from arising. If you are not successful already, you need to use specific techniques in order to remove them. Each of these hindrances are placing a dark cloud on your mind, or on the way of your climb your mountain.
Four step method to help you removing those hindrances
1. Recognize in what state of the mind you are finding yourself in.
2. Learn to accept, acknowledge and allow the situation and the person to be the way how it is to be how the way they are.
3. Investigate your emotional and mental state and ask questions: “Why did it come up?” “What is going to be the consequence if I remain in that state?”
4. Non-identification it is the practice: I am no the body. I am not the mind I am not my emotion. It’s just that I can see all these three aspects about me.
All of our lifetimes, all of our lives are too unique to copy the path from someone else. To bring meaning to your life, to bring value into your life. You need to learn and master yourself and don’t let the hindrances stop you.
If any of you chooses to climb that path to clarity I would be very happy to meet you at the peak.
There are two mistakes along the way to mastery: Not starting it and not going all the way
Thank you for reading this far,
I wish you all the luck in climbing your own mountain.
