What can we learn from 12 days in Tibet

Over the last years several Mountain Wisdom friends raised the desire for a format that allows to go deeper, with more time, and a closer relationship to nature.

We have spent 12 days in Tibet and we did the Kora (circumambulation) of Mount Kailash; Mt Kailash is a 6700m pyramid in Western Tibet and it is holy to Hindus, Buddhists, Tibetan, Jain, and an increasing number of soul seekers from the West. The Kailash area is also the source for the 4 big rivers of the Indian subcontinent: the Ganges, the Bramaputra, the Indus and the Sutlej. In de Indian tradition, Mt Kailash is home to Shiva and Shakti, the Hindu Gods, as well as the place where Milarepa, the Yoga/mountaineer from the 11th century, lived and wrote his 100,000 songs.

We were a group of 12: two Indians living in the US, one Chinese, two Danes, an Egyptian/British, a French/Moroccan, four Germans, and a Swiss. We were accompanied by a guide, a driver, and a policeman, the latter imposed by the government to assure compliant behaviors of the group;  all three Tibetans.

This first Mountain Wisdom Expedition was full of experiences, physical, spiritual, emotional, painful and joyful, in fact, impossible for me to put in words. I will try, however, to share some of the learnings, to give you a glimpse of it and potentially trigger some inspiration on how you might want to continue your own personal journey.

Allow me to summarize my learnings along the familiar It, We and I dimensions; all somehow fall in the theme of integration and bridging.

Here are some experiences on the We-dimension

• Almost magically leaders emerged from our group, i.e. our Indian friends naturally served as spiritual leaders, a yoga instructor offered early morning sessions, a mountaineer guided the slower group over the 5650m Doemla Pass, and a treasurer emerged to take care of our cash management.
• When our Tibetan guide learned that we have a Chinese group member he got visibly irritated and concerned; he feared spying, denouncing, and ultimately for his job. It was touching to see, how in the course of our spiritual journey the Tibetan guide and our Chinese Mountain Wisdom friend, got closer, asked questions, learned from each other, and finally became (Mountain Wisdom) friends.
• One of our team members could not complete the Kora and had to be brought down to lower altitude for recovery. The policeman volunteered to accompany our friend; this led to a deep connection between the two, including an invitation by the policeman for dinner and meeting some of his Tibetan friends.
• The smile of the Tibetan people is contagious; and their dedication to self reflection, meditation and prayer is noteworthy.

What did we learn on the it-Dimension? 

• Spiritually, our journey addressed the integration of Shiva and Shakti: Shiva representing consciousness and bliss, and Shakti representing the energy of manifestation. The visual illustrating this concept is the wave (the manifestation), and the ocean (the consciousness). The idea is that we are all individual waves in the ocean of consciousness that connects us all. The waves come and go but the ocean is always there. From a young age we have been taught to focus on ourselves as individual disconnected waves and not think about the ocean we are part of. Unfortunately while this allows us to accomplish and achieve, it also leaves us without a deep centeredness needed to experience peace and bliss in the midst of chaos (created by interacting with other waves). The work we did was to integrate being a powerful wave (Shakti manifesting outcomes) with remembering that we are also the vast ocean of consciousness  which is our true nature (Shiva which is Joy, Bliss and Truth) and through this integration be spiritually whole.
• The magic of Mt Kailash, the power of the place, the connection of the pilgrims and all this around 5000m of altitude was an impressive expression of Mountain Wisdom.
• Politically, it is sad to see the loss of freedom of the Tibetan people. On the other hand, it is also hard to ignore the material progress the Chinese have brought to Tibet. It is our hope that Tibet becomes a spiritual hub for China, and the numerous tourists/pilgrims from Mainland China in Tibet and on the Kora make us cautiously optimistic.

And finally, what did we learn on the I-Dimension?

• A fulfilling personal (spiritual) journey requires the integration of body-mind-soul; the combination of early morning yoga, exchange during the long rides and walks, after dinner lecture and meditation, brought us to unexpected heights and depth.
• 'No pain no gain': facing your dark side as well as venturing to high altitude doesn't come without pain; and yet, it triggers insights and awareness for the way forward.
• We need to trust the 'ocean' and at the same time take full responsibility for our role and contribution as the wave.
• Such a journey requires self discipline and openness to vulnerability; it is also fascinating to see how the people around us jump in when help is needed.
• Although many of us have already accumulated loads of knowledge and yet, there is still so much to learn, so we need to stay open and curious.
• Great to have high aspiration and at the same time stay humble in the face of nature, human needs, and challenges.

The 12 days in Tibet allowed for a lot of self reflection, we were faced with all kind of insights and experiences and we touched each other on a human level. I trust that we will be able to bring this spirit into our daily lives.  And for you I hope that some of these thoughts can serve as an impulse and inspiration to continue your own personal journey.

Sending you the spirit of the mountain,

Ekki